If you liked Starcraft or Myth, you know Real-Time Strategy (RTS). Things are moving along without you, and the only way to keep up is to gather, build and conquer.
Heroes of Might and Magic is a seriously mature franchise that PC gamers have known about forever, and is arguably the best example of Turn-Based Strategy (TBS) anywhere.
Heroes III Complete is actually a combo pack of
Heroes III: The Restoration of Erathia and
The Shadow of Death with
Armageddon's Blade as an add-on release. Much like Myth: The Total Codex, or the Diablo and Starcraft 'packs' that were released over the last year for Mac,
Heroes III Complete is a great way to get in on what the PC world has known about for years and years. Each of the main games has a unique storyline, settings and characters, broken up into campaigns and scenarios. Instead of only having a choice to play scenarios in order,
Heroes III Complete lets you either choose Campaign or Scenario Mode. Campaign is the more linear of the two, but gives you choice in how to play through by way of different maps and objectives. As a practice run, Tutorial is a nice way to get acquainted with the world of
Heroes and individual maps can be played out in Scenario Mode. If you haven't tackled much TBS, it doesn't feel quite as dynamic as RTS, but makes up for it in pure depth.
Heroes III Complete doesn't come with a printed manual, which is a shame, but lets you browse the manuals in .pdf format after install. Great, except the manuals are obviously the ones written for PC, so you'll see references to the Start menu, and weird keyboard instructions that don't apply. Oh well, we should just feel lucky that we got the game converted, right? Multiplayer is great for LAN, Appletalk or Internet, and easy to set up. As much of a drain as
Heroes III Complete puts on your system, latency may be the least of your problems, but Multiplayer can even be managed as a 'hotseat' setup, with players taking turns at the same computer. Multiplayer in any form represents the ability to have multiple human-controlled players, with up to 8 at any one time. Hosting games is possible, as long as everybody knows your IP address (you've got one, right?) and Game Ranger is included as a way to sniff-out active Internet games.
No way could I ever begin to explain the elements of a typical session in Heroes III Complete but suffice it to say that resource building and strategically planned battles are only the beginning. At first, everything around you is clouded, and you explore and conquer slowly. Towns and resource locations can be won, and towns really serve as the nexus for all power-struggles and character building. Multiple heroes can be managed, but often your success hinges on the success or failure of a specific character. Moving around the world, you'll fight and recruit other creatures while digging for treasure and collecting precious artifacts. Aligning creatures is a factor, and maximizing each hero and his/her army is key to winning. Any single scenario, whether played on a small or large map, is incredibly engrossing and will take hours of your time. Consider that there are 200 stock scenarios and you begin to appreciate the time one could invest here. Don't like the stock scenarios? Create your own, or use the random generator to 'roll the dice' and play whatever comes up. This is a TBS gamer's dream.
