- Platform: IBM PC Compatible
- Release Date: June 02, 2004
- Genre: Strategy
- Style: Empire-Building
- Similar Games: Medieval: Total War (IBM PC Compatible), Legion (IBM PC Compatible), Celtic Kings: Rage of War (IBM PC Compatible), Chariots of War (IBM PC Compatible)
Game Description
U.K.-based developer Slitherine Software returns to historically based empire-building with Spartan, a 3D turn-based strategy game. As in the studio's earlier games, Legion and Chariots of War, players take command of a nation, including both its political and military operations, and attempt to spread their people's influence across a map of the ancient world.The game world in Spartan is based on real maps of ancient Greece and the Near East. Gamers can choose to play as the Spartans themselves, or as one of 100 other historically based factions. They can ply their nation's will in a variety of ways, including trade agreements, espionage, and tribute. When diplomacy alone does not produce the desired effects, and it is time to take up arms, a wide selection of available fighting units suggests numerous possible military approaches, including castle sieges and naval battles, as well as large-scale infantry warfare.
Spartan has been compared to games in Creative Assembly's Total War series, as it also combines a gradual expansion across a portioned overview map with a more intimate interface in battle scenes. The battles of Spartan are turn-based, however, and are designed to promote precise, carefully planned tactics that might be impractical in the real-time immediacy of Shogun or Medieval.
For players still waiting to upgrade their computers, Spartan offers a special 2D battle mode that is less technically demanding of older machines. Multiplayer contests for two competitors are supported by the
~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Programming: Philip Veale; 2D Art: Fad; 3D Art: Alex Scarrow; Design: Iain McNeil; Business Management: JD McNeil; Original Engine: David Parsons; IND Music: Iain Stevens, David Reeks; Research Assistance: Nik Fincher, Paul Robinson; QA: Bruce Poon, Nicolai Thorning, Thomas Morrison, Scott Hogan, François-Pierre Cartolano, Austin Cook, John Davies, Bruce Durham, Khurram Wadiwalla, Terry Shaw, David Burton, Anton Zumer, Sergio Zaliubovskiy, Tunc Tuncer, Eric Stubbs, Dimitri Demergis, Stefano Moretti, Robin Swanson, George Christianis, Glenn Cooper, Xavier Follebouckt, Joe Sims, Jerry A. Smith, Pádraig Shortt, Paul Kersey, Olaerts Geert, Sheila Mcleod, David Maynard, Leslie Mitchell, Dennis Getsie Jr., Gregory Mann, Kris Verhelst, Michael J. Rea, Kenneth James Jones, Todd Agthe, Paul Overend, Owen Galloway, Nicholas Fincher, Fredrik Anddersson, Alex Treber, Andrew Geisler, Patrick Conway, Adam Bickley, Lukas Nijsten, Alexander Walker, Andrew Osbahr, Andrew Turlington, Christopher L. Ballard, Benny Michielsen, Bujtár Károly, James Paraskeva, Terry Alan Thayer, Joshua Mccullough, Brian Zaik, Sven De Ridder, Loren Jones, Ben Daly, Daniel Skantz, Eric Pearson, Frank Kontowicz, Gloria Carson, Dan Archer, Tyler D. Upton, Harrison Highsmith, Paul Drayton, Josh Bycer, James Morton, Jef Addley, John Kalligiannis, Richard Espinoza, Stefan Kruppa, Martin Fink, Margaret Churchill, Mark Gilby, Mikecartier, Mike Schirado, Jacob Bednar, Jan Mulders, Nathan Wagner, Bill Effner, Riku Uotinen, Andrew Armstrong, Robin Hewitt, Konstantin Apsaliamov, Alex Wiens, Steve Gauthier, Steven Truong, Tobi Mackenzie, Vitaly Tsipris, Marcus Feital, János Holányi, Angel Rolon, Aaron S. Cloutier, Manolis Krestas, Jon Jensen, Jeff Gossett, Mark Crocker, Walter Micheli, David A Sund, Raymond Heuer, Daniel Geyer, Charles Rouleau, Cooper Colbert, Aleksander Grønnestad, Dave Hutchby, David W. Collins, Nastenko Mihael, Rso Andrea, Richard Long, Tim Agelink, John Tillamn Lacy, Mitchell Funk, Greg Woodstock, William Eric Puckhaber, Mattias Gyllsdorff, Andrew Baryshnikov, Louis Thiery, Nathaniel Torbett, John Boyd, J. Kevin Bassett, Jaroslaw Bulla, Don Philips, Kevin Clinesmith, Suzie Lutz, Ivor Edwards, Daniel Jonason, Michael Lerner, Massimiliano Cascio, William Charles Baleson, Olaf Meys, Stefano Sorice, Patrick O'Leary, Richard E. Gray, Robert Davidson, Sergey M. Arhipov, Gabriel Gauthier, Vedovato Stefano, Steven David Robertson, Lucas Fairhurst, Alexander Taylor, Tobias Appel, Tom Moens, Tom Taghon, David Eisenbise, Paul Li, Anthony Theodorakakos, Alessandro Brunetti, Xang Xiong, Richard Matthews, Guido Pagliai, Timothy Croo, Hillebrand J. Dalstra, Robert Khafizov
~ Keith Adams, All Game Guide
