This game is wonderful for the average person who would like to be the leader of a nation and learn more about how battles work, and learn to command an army. People who are not well versed in military tactics will learn a lot from the game, and enjoy the process. It is a very rewarding experience and will keep challenging a newcomer to ancient tactics and strategies in war. For those well versed in the ins and outs of battles and how they are to be fought it is a relaxing game, however it is not intended to challenge armchair generals. Either way, it is an enjoyable experience.

Rome Total War Barbarians requires Rome Total War to be installed in order to run. I had not played a Total War game in the past, so I played the tutorial prior to starting a new game in Barbarians. The tutorial turned into several days playing the base game because I found the game so enjoyable. The tutorial is very helpful, and I advise anyone who plays the game to try it before jumping in to normal mode. Although there is always an advisor that you can use to help you in the game, the tutorial helps explain the basics in a very comprehensive way.

Once I began to play the expansion I realized that it is a completely new campaign. The engine and mechanics are for the most part the same, however the game itself is set in a new era. It was fun to be in command of a "barbarian" civilization that was attempting to speed the aging Roman Empire's downfall.

The center piece of the game is the battles. Each nation has a different set of unit types to work with. The soldiers interact with one another in battle as individuals, yet you command them as units. It is reminiscent of the technology used to make The Lord of the Rings battles come to life. You can see different soldiers in the same unit behaving differently. The enemy will react in ways that seem real as well. This adds a lot to the game. Units pass through one another making swings of opportunity, siege engines are used against the city walls, archers decimate cavalry at a distance but are cut to pieces when the cavalry comes into their lines.

During the turn-based part of the game many things have to be done. There are cities to run, troops to build and to move. When cities uprise, you must find a way to appease them or put them to the sword. There are times when the only way to maintain the city is to put the people to the sword. Although I was hesitant to kill the locals at first, after being pushed out of a city 5 times, losing large amounts of troops to the angry citizenry, it was with some pleasure that I put that city to the sword. The transition screens are a nice little addition between the RTS and the turn based. Oftentimes you can see the various famous quotes that can be read there applying to your current game.

Every battle needs a good leader. The way you get these leaders is through birth and marriage. Each leader has his strengths and weaknesses. Some are better at city management and some are better generals. With every battle the generals and the units become better at their duties. Troops with a good commander will fight hard, troops with a poor commander are much more likely to route. Even when this happens, with some effort you can reorganize your troops and go back to battle in the middle of combat.

There are those who complain about how simple the strategy is in the battles. However I believe those who complain are not looking at the game from the same place I do. They are well versed in battle tactics, and are looking for a challenge. However the AI is very good at helping people who are not long term strategists learn how to become proficient with military strategy. I think it is a nice relaxing way for even a true general to pass an afternoon, and a true challenge to a new or somewhat proficient tactician without being overwhelming. My biggest problem with the game is the naval battles. There is not any way of knowing why certain things happen in them, and there is no real time interaction. It really hurts the gameplay in a game based on war to have no interaction and little information and strategy when it comes to naval battles.

I would recommend this game to anyone. If they are more interested in one of the other names in the line, I would encourage them to pick up a copy of whichever Total War scenario best fits their interest. The entire series is a good series, and Barbarians is not an exception. It is a game that I know I will go back to again and again and again. A word of warning, it is one of those games that once you start it is just about impossible to pull yourself off of the computer. Very engrossing, both cinematically and mentally.