Stronghold

Stronghold is a real-time strategy game developed by Stormfront Studios and published by Strategic Simulations Inc. in 1993. This game is set in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy universe and uses a bare bones version of the rules of the original tabletop role playing game.

Starting out you only have command of a small village that you must turn into a stronghold (hence the name). You build your village up and add and upgrade different buildings and ‘neighborhoods’. You can also recruit and train units comprised of different classes of fantasy folk. You can then send your units out into the world to fight monsters or gather resources. There are a few different ways to play and ultimately ‘win’ this game, it just depends on your play style. If you want to pursue the ‘Lawful’ path you can focus on building up your city and advance to the rank of Emperor. Should you choose the ‘Chaotic’ path your ultimate goal is to destroy all of your enemies. There is also door number 3 where you can choose to be ‘Neutral’ and do both. How you play and manage your game is up to you, right down to the ability to micromanage to your heart’s content. Though if you would rather not, the computer can take care of it for you. No matter which road you choose, it will be a challenging one.

Clearly D&D fans are the first to come to mind for this game, but I think it would be appealing to anyone who likes strategy games. This game offers a good level of difficulty and different play style options. Whether you are a fan of D&D or not, Stronghold offers an excellent combination of gaming elements and will keep you immersed for hours.