Conquest of the New World (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Trent Ward
• Reviewed on: 05/01/1996
• Updated on: 05/01/2000
• Released on: 03/31/1996
• Originally published on GameSpot: Conquest of the New World (PC) Review

Most historical simulations share a common problem: their developers, after devoting hours and hours to detailed period research, don't seem to have enough time left over to create decent game frameworks that use the information properly. The end result? Many gamers think historical sims are boring or dry--when, in fact, if combined with solid gameplay, these games can provide unparalleled realism for adventure and strategy fans. In their latest release, Conquest of the New World, Interplay has managed to combine top-notch graphics, sound, and gameplay with a detailed historical framework to create a title that is both addictive and entertaining from start to finish.

Gamers will first notice Conquest's incredible landscape graphics. In the standard strategy tradition, players move their various pieces (including explorers, colonists, and soldiers) through a blacked-out world, uncovering beautiful mountains, plains, and rivers. The first player to discover any landmark gets to name it. After mapping out some of the local terrain, the next step is to build a colony and make it self-sufficient. To this end, players can build sawmills, metal mines, housing, and farms to generate the resources and space necessary to expand, and eventually, to build more colonies. Then comes the hard part: convincing the natives and other countries of the world that you are a force to be reckoned with.

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