Superb and accessible turn-based strategy game
Empire Deluxe is a turn-based strategy game that was originally inspired by board games like Risk and sees players attempting to seize control of cities using combinations of sea, air, and land forces, while protecting their own from attack. While visually simple, its mix of accessibility and tactical depth mean that this makes for a good introduction to the genre, while remaining challenging to old hands. Gameplay is pretty straightforward to pick up, and players start out with a single city which can produce military units. Armies are the basic units and these are used to capture enemy cities, but other units like destroyers, aircraft and battleships also become available and can be used to patrol the skies and seas, protecting your own cities or launching devastating attacks. Although simple in concept, which makes the game perfect for beginners, the level of strategy available means that things soon become highly challenging. Empire Deluxe supports a number of play-styles, so armchair generals can vary their tactics to suit their own ends, while the enemy AI makes for a truly testing opponent. The simple visuals may prove off-putting for some, but this isn't a game which needs flashy graphics and stands well enough without them. For a similar game with greater scope and historical detail, check out Civilization.
