DESCRIPTION

In Demon World: Dark Armies, you wield the most advanced weaponry of the 11th century as you battle hordes of undead from the Underworld. As many as a thousand units per army clash in this swords and sorcery RTS game from Xicat Interactive. Gameplay features ten single-player missions, a campaign mode, a mission editor, and 12 maps for multiplayer action. In campaign mode, you play as Jason Klingor, commander of the human Imperial Army, as he tries to save the Empire by defeating the surging orcs. In multiplayer action, you can choose any of three races: human, orc, or dwarf.

Units (with examples) in Dark Armies include long-distance combat (archers, javelin throwers), war machines (cannons, mortars), cavalry (lancers), infantry (swordsmen, pikemen), spell casters (magicians, priests), and heroes. Each unit has specific attributes, such as armor, morale, initiative, overrun capability, level, grade, combat prowess, size, fear factor, speed, hit points, experience, and so on. Artifacts captured in battle or found during gameplay are usable only by the race that created them and are unit specific.

Gold is used to recruit new units, medals (awarded for successful missions) increase morale, and experience is necessary to upgrade units. Other options include a tutorial mode (small training levels) that explains the interface and controls for unit manipulation and maneuvering, a "bestiarium" with information on all enemy units, video replay, tactical map markers, and mission briefings. Multiplayer offers adjustable settings for each player (maximum gold and number of units), as well as gameplay options including weather conditions, fog of war, wind direction and force, time of day, game speed, and alliances. ~ Michael Tresca, All Game Guide