Populous II is the sequel to the original Populous. It was programmed by Bulldog Productions and is also known as The Trials of the Olympian Gods. The game was originally released for the Amiga, DOS and Atari ST systems.
In the game, you will play the role of a god who has to help his men fight against the men who follow a different god. At the start of the game you are not exactly a full pledged god but the son of one.
You will play the role of the illegitimate son of Zeus and now you have to work your way up into becoming a god yourself worthy of the company of Olympus. You lead your men against different gods eventually fighting against Zeus himself. By fighting against the other gods, you shall prove yourself worthy of the sit beside Zeus and will be given access to the Pantheon.
There will be different scenarios that you have to deal with. Each god has his own special powers that receive a boost every time he wins in a battle. You will have to use your powers to help the people grow and procreate. As you gain skills and experience the task of leading your men to greatness become easier.
Of course procreation is also affected by a number of factors including the size of the settlement and others.
The game is a good role-playing game that features unique micro-management. The game actually became more popular than the original game because of several additional features. One of these added features are the additional spells. While the original game only had eight, the Populous II has twenty-nine effects divided into six: earth, wind, fire, water, plants and humans. There is a meter on the screen that shows the player what type of effects is available for use in the game.
There are a number of ways to kill off your enemies but the larger your population is the easier it is to kill them off because of the strength of the mana which you will use to cast the spells or the elements. You can also use your men to attack the other factions’ settlements so you can occupy them. This is the job of the Knights.
Both the Populous and Populous II: The Trial of the Olympian Gods are ground breaking games but this sequel is a truly brilliant game that has surpassed the original in terms of game play and the level of entertainment you get from it.
