Medieval: Total War

Experience the Middle Ages in all its blood-soaked glory. From the lush grasslands of Western Europe to the arid deserts of North Africa, from the First Crusade to the fall of Constantinople, use diplomacy, trade, espionage and assassination, spread your religion and wage all-out war to expand your influence and secure your rule as you build a dynastic empire that spans four centuries. Total War is the sequel to 2000's Shogun - Total War, and like Shogun, the game is divided into two sections - the turn-based campaign map, where the player must make strategic decisions, recruit and move armies, lay siege to settlements, fight naval battles, and use agents such as emissaries, spies and assassins to conduct diplomacy, offer alliances or bribes, or carry out more clandestine actions. Religion plays an important role in the game, and whether a faction is Muslim, Orthodox or Christian affects the loyalty of the population - as a Catholic nation, the player must comply with the wishes of the Papal States and wage holy war if necessary, otherwise risk excommunication. If public order and loyalty in a particular region deteriorate too much, a rebellion or civil war may occur - in these situations, the player can side with the rebels or the current rulers to put down the rebellion or overthrow a tyrannical regime.