Birth of America 2: Wars in America review (PC)

The original Birth of America was a title that skipped by the majority of PC gamers. Risk-like gameplay in combination with an almost impermeable barrage of statistics turned many casual observers away, ensuring little more than niche interest from the armchair general crowd.

This second iteration isn't here to apologise, but rather to consolidate those principles - crafting an experience that's at times beguiling and over-wrought with detail. As an interactive history lesson it leaves a lot to be desired, but as a strategic simulation of warfare, it'll hit the spot for at least a few people.

The collapse of an empire

And warfare really is the primary concern here. BoA II concerns itself with the American Independence movement during 1750 – 1815, a time of tumultuous change that set Western anti-taxation capitalist tendencies firmly in place. Specific campaigns are available from multiple angles (American, British, Native American etc), played out on historically accurate terrain with suitable weather wreaking havoc on the most carefully-laid plans. Each chapter revolves around realistic objectives that need to be secured or eliminated, but with minimal explanation of the historic relevance of each battle, you'll need to be a scholar of American history to get the most out of it.

With a distinct board-game approach, BoA II takes on a striking resemblance to Civilization without diplomacy. Each section of the map contains several city strongholds that form the basis of a long-term campaign, with objectives usually involving capturing one or more of these important locations, surviving a siege or driving the enemy beyond borders. Movement is a simple process of dragging and dropping the relevant icon to a desired location on the map, with combat automatically engaged on your behalf. There are no battle animations or interactive elements to contend with, just a simple text explanation of the resultant carnage.

Run to the hills

Units are represented in regiment form with four differing combat stances that allow for peaceful cohabitation with opposing troops or outright destruction. Troops and regiments can also be merged or split as necessary, with captured cities providing a safe haven to rest and resupply – providing the trade routes are under control. This is where the majority of the strategising takes place, with decisions to be made on fortification or advancement that set the chain of events leading to victory or defeat in motion.

In keeping with the depth of detail, BoA also introduces generals into the mix. Each specific commander boosts the performance of his allied regiment in a different manner, so Splitting up a successful squad becomes a more pertinent decision than simply calculating the remaining strength of the available units. Unless they have somebody to lead them successfully, a regiment's capacity for damage or defence will be greatly reduced. Plotting a campaign from the very start soon becomes essential.

Terrain is also of crucial importance. Garrisoning an army in woodland will give a tremendous defensive boost, for example, whilst crossing a river to battle an enemy is almost guaranteed suicide. Snow, mountains, scrubland and water need to be considered when plotting the best strategy to approach any particular target – the shortest route isn't always necessary the most fruitful.

Stats to burn

All of which is promising, and indeed BoA II does contain some tremendously involving moments. As with any game of this type, successfully executing a strategy to overthrow an entrenched enemy or reacting to an unforeseen threat is hugely satisfying - almost doubly so when you consider the amount of variables to keep track of here. But for every moment of exaltation there are a few more of frustration and annoyance, primarily dictated by the often lackadaisical pace and unwillingness to project any flair in presentation.

The interface is functional at best, with overlays often cluttered with information, although it's difficult to see how this could have been avoided given the propensity for statistics. Whilst the world map is stylishly rendered and scalable, the unit icons are drab and uninspiring, with no animation and purely text-driven feedback. Even movement is handled in the background of each turn, and the experience loses charm and a layer of engagement as a result.

And that's probably the largest bone of contention here. Given the historical premise and attention to detail poured into crafting a realistic depiction of military strategy, it's baffling as to why the developer hasn't taken more time to present historic materials or indeed set any form of atmosphere to liven up proceedings. We're left with a functional and occasionally engaging board game as a result, where we could have been presented with an impassioned look back at an interesting period of history. It'll appeal to a few people then, but leaves the overall impression of a game that could have been so much more.