Conquest of the New World Deluxe Edition (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  T. McDonald
• Reviewed on: 03/04/1997
• Updated on: 05/01/2000
• Released on: 12/31/1996
• Originally published on GameSpot: Conquest of the New World Deluxe Edition (PC) Review

If the release of Conquest of the New World Deluxe does nothing else, it should reacquaint people with a sadly neglected gem of historical strategy gaming.

A far more entertaining experience than Sid Meier's Colonization, Conquest puts you in the role of French, Dutch, English, Spanish, or Portuguese explorers in a "new world," with an option to play as Natives as well. In the grand old tradition of conquest games, you begin by landing on an unexplored piece of land, and must push back the black veil over the map by sending your explorers, settlers, and soldiers fanning out over the countryside. The landscapes these explorers will find are some of the best rendered in any such game to date, with mountains, rivers, valleys, and plains all done in amazing detail and a zoom feature that can take you right into the dirt. An especially fun twist is the option of naming any new geographical features you may find (mountains, rivers) and getting credit (in the form of points) for their discovery.

Also found in the countryside are various natural resources such as gold and metal, with the Deluxe edition containing new productivity-boosting items like gems, jade, mines, and medicinal herbs. The point is to settle a good region that can support crops, colony expansion, mining, and possibly add a production bonus through proximity to special resources. This settlement will grow over the game as you build farms, mills, smiths, churches, houses, and other structures to increase your population, income, and the overall success of the colony. One particularly fascinating element of Conquest is the ability to zoom right into these settlements and watch them up close, playing with various levels of productivity, moving people from one job to another, and generally playing god with their little lives.

Of course, you'll need to protect these settlements and create a military force to expand and conquer the rest of the continent. To do this you can build infantry, calvary, and artillery, attach them to leaders, and send them out across the country side spoiling for a fight. These battles are done in short, novel combat sequences that resemble a cross between miniature wargames and chess. (The Heroes of Might and Magic combat system obviously owes a debt to Conquest.) The soldiers appear on a small grid, and fast, turn-based sequences let you move across the grid and attack the enemy - choosing exactly how you group your men and where they attack. It's simple to understand and adds a good combat element without upsetting the general pacing of the game.

Continue reading