It's 1805 and the battle of Austerlitz is about to begin. One of Napoleon's commanders mentions that life would be so much easier if everyone took turns when making decisions, instead of the free-for-all that usually takes place during invasions. Napoleon remarks, "Once I rule the world I will make turn-based strategy the way forward as my first decree." Well, if we look to the history books you'll find that Napoleon fell short (get it?) of world domination, and as such, turn-based strategy games still only appeal to the hardcore. C'est la vie!

Napoleon's Campaigns is one of the most complicated games I have ever played - it's just so damn hard to grasp, which isn't helped by the steepest learning curve known to man, whether it be 1808 or 2008! If you haven't already guessed, it's a top down turn-based strategy game that is set during Napoleon's era, with the option to view 3D sprites of your battalions. This genre and indeed this game is only for the hardcore gamers out there who have the time and patience to enjoy the historical statistics and very detailed maps that are on offer.

Napoleon's Campaigns is a game where positioning, morale, supplies, strategy and your generals' experience are vital in determining the success of attacks and invasions. A large collection of campaigns are playable, including Austerlitz (1805), Trafalgar (1805), Jena (1806), Friedland (1807), Danube (1809), Russia (1812), Germany (1813), France (1814), Waterloo (1815) and Spain (1808-1814). As well as this you have the added bonus of an England Invaded campaign - see if you can help Napoleon achieve what he could not do in real life. You can play as Napoleon himself, or as the countries he tried to conquer, an approach that I welcome, as it allows you to see the war from all sides.

The maps are beautifully recreated down to the finest detail, including water routes, supply routes, ports and more, showing how Europe looked back in the 1800s - although I did notice some historical inaccuracies, but these only occurred on the minor maps. There are literally hundreds of historical figures, such as Napoleon's main generals, to get to grips with. Due to the nature of the game allowing you to decide how you utilise your armies, you can sort of rewrite history by improving the statistics of generals who in real life never made it past Jena, for example. Successful campaigns and training allow you to improve your armies' abilities as you would in Command & Conquer, Final Fantasy and various other real-time strategy and role-playing games.

Your armies take a set number of days to reach a destination that's plotted by a slightly suspect control system; sometimes you'll end up moving up and down the map when you meant to move your regiments northwards. After each turn, the game chronicles what happens; if you were trying to reach Modena then you may have come across enemy troops along the way, which results in a confrontation, the outcome of which is given in the form of a battle report. Not a lot happens besides being told how well you did; you don't see or hear much, which is a shame.

Everything you will need to tinker with is navigated through a series of buttons and shortcuts that will take a while to master, but when you do get used to everything you will feel like Napoleon himself as you battle your way through whatever foreign land lies ahead. Make sure you save your game before taking a risky course of action though, because you will often find yourself spending hours trying to win back ground that you lost due to a poor tactical decision. You could argue that the game leaves you a little cold as you see a stream of statistics pop up, but I guess that, as a general, you are never really in the thick of things while you shout orders from the safety of your fortified bunker.

Graphically the maps are varied enough to at least be worth a mention, whilst the historical representation of the old cities and generals are lifelike and almost feel like an homage to days long gone, where battles relied more upon thought and timing than the long-range, destructive pinpoint warfare of today. I feel this is a very good educational game as you learn the tactics and strategies that were employed by the generals of that era, while exploring the hugely detailed European map. There are a lot of icons to deal with and they are a little fiddly at the beginning, as it's quite easy to click on the wrong general or division, but you will get used to this. Unfortunately the music is more of a miss than a hit, sounding more like a marching band that pipes up every now again. There are often long, uncomfortable silences that are then randomly broken up by the same marching band anthem/war song; some periodic music or more varied sound effects would have been a welcome addition that would have at least increased the tension the little.

Just like Napoleon himself, this game doesn't add anything new to the strategy genre in terms of new concepts, but what it does offer is an unrivalled depth of gameplay and numbers to trawl through that will keep you busy for hours, days, months and possibly even years. There are so many variables to take into account that make this game replayable on so many levels, and that's not even including the multiplayer option, which works as well as you could hope for - you can even play by email! However, can real entertainment be gained from playing this? Well the turn-based genre still lives on so, that's a yes, but

Napoleon's Campaigns should only be approached by history and strategy buffs who enjoy deep and complex strategy games where you live and die by your tactics. There may be a lack of action, but the sheer amount of statistics and historical accuracy on offer is more than enough for any enthusiast, resulting in a game that's all about the fine details when it comes to your approach to each and every conflict. This is military strategy without any graphical extravagance or explosions, but it's great at what it does, a polished and incredibly intricate turn-based strategy game with some additional novelty value thrown in. So, if you long to reinvent history and are a fan of this much-maligned genre then this is the game for you - just remember to book the rest of the year off work, now that you've got your own empire to build!

Reviewed by Christopher McNally for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).