Once the battle is set, the fight plays out in real time. The player chooses individual units like infantry battalions or ships. With simple clicks he can move units and set formations, while attacking the enemy. When one side’s units have been destroyed or routed off the map the battle is over.

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One of the first things the player will notice is that the graphical world in E:TW is drop-dead gorgeous; providing you have the machine specs for it. At full detail, land and sea battles are the best visual depiction of combat in this period to ever hit the computer screen. Vegetation is lush, units wear colorful uniforms, drummers beat the marching cadence, and officers lead with swords drawn. Oceans look like the real thing, and ships leave a frothy wake as the wind fills their sails. There is even a unit-eye view that puts the camera down in the ranks.

When the excellent graphics are added to great sound effects and a movie-like soundtrack, even grizzled gamers who have seen it all can’t help but be amazed, particularly since the graphical world is not only gorgeous but alive. Troops fight to death in hand-to-hand combat. Cannon balls skip realistically across fields, killing troops as they go. In naval combat, masts fall, slowing movement. Burning ships can explode, throwing flaming rigging onto any ship unlucky enough to be near.

All this graphical wonder does mean that E:TW takes its due in terms of computer specs, however. High-level detail ran slightly choppy on the review machine, an Intel Dual Core with 2GB RAM, GeForce 8600, running 32-bit Vista. But for players who are behind the spec curve, E:TW is just the sort of game that drives that next computer purchase.

Many elements of the tactical game ring true to history. Massed firepower in lines tends to win battles on sea and land. The game has the best depiction of ships sailing in line formation that this reviewer has seen on the PC. The lines of ships are easy to give orders to, and when warships are slowed or sunk the computer automatically closes gaps. A stalwart wall of ships of the line, sailing in formation and crossing the enemy’s "T" will win battles.

In E:TW’s land battles, longer lines increase firepower but make the unit more vulnerable to cavalry charges. Units are also sensitive to attack from the flanks or rear, so battles tend to evolve into two long lines. To help with the problem of being outflanked, the player can order infantry into square formation that makes cavalry attack more difficult.

While tactical combat has much period flavor, there are also many compromises. Games in the Total War series have always walked a delicate line between history and fun. In E:TW’s case however, Creative Assembly leans too far towards the game, while history takes a holiday. The result is history-flavored cotton candy: great to look at, wonderful to taste, but don’t expect a meal. Grognards will have to check their dental plan before playing—all the teeth-grinding during play won’t be good for their smile.

To start with, tactical battles happen too quickly, giving the game an RTS click-fest feel. On land, units march around the battlefield with amazing speed. This certainly makes battles happen faster, but also means the player can go from victory to defeat in half a minute. There is a slow button that plays battles at half speed, but the game does not play sounds in slow mode, so players going with this option lose some of the experience.

Curiously, the battle maps have beautiful weather effects like fog, rain and snow, but there is no effect on combat. In the 1700s, keeping your powder dry was more than just a phrase, it kept you alive. The infantryman’s nightmare was facing a cavalry charge—his hell was facing the charge with wet powder.

Other problems the history-conscious player will note are that ships and land units turn on a dime and respond immediately to orders. While the wind gauge does have some effect on ships, the player can pretty much ignore it. Entire battle lines of ships can magically sail against the wind.

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