Imperium Romanum could almost be considered a sequel to Haemimont Game's Glory of the Roman Empire as players once again return to this ancient and powerful empire. Needless to say, the title has received a thorough face lift which makes this title its own entity with full 3D graphics which allows the gamer to zoom into the battles and even turn the gaming environment to their advantage.

Features: History mode with timeline, where missions are based on real events and locations Interactive mission mode: the players activate the goals when they choose Improved battle system where players commands their own armies Player-constructable bridges, fortifications, walls, towers and gates Introduction of currency, crime, historically accurate buildings, natural disasters, and siege machines New interface design, and improved economy and overview dialogues

In its essence, Imperium Romanum is your classic sim building game with an innovative and easy to use interface. Creating glorious Roman cities is as easy and selecting the building you wish to create and simply finding an area where you wish to create this ancient masterpiece.

The developers have also kept the interface quite simple, ensuring that even the most novice of gamers will have no problem in mastering this title in a small amount of time. Apart from creating your vast cities, you must also monitor your resources which include construction materials, food and raw materials in order to keep your denizens pleased because the last thing you want is a riot among your plebeians.

Keeping your citizens happy is your main primary function and you need to display them with food, entertainment and religious temples which will not only make your city prosperous but also attract new citizens. As you city grows, so does the needs of your people and you will need to create more luxurious buildings and items such as wine and public baths. If riots do occur, depending on your ancient police force the Praetorians, they can assist in calming even the most dangerous of riots which is quite entertaining, although annoying to your building plans as these are generally destroyed.

Planting buildings is not an easy task as you need to take in a variety of factors that influence the needs and happiness of your citizens. For instance, you would not put a marketplace next to higher classed citizens and at the end of the day, it's all about finding the right balance. The developers have also added criminal elements into the title which generally stems from socioeconomic struggling families or the unemployed which means these elements of your city must be addressed, even though your Praetorians can maintain these elements at times.

Other elements such as taxing your population after upgrades or even confiscating from the rich should you declare them an enemy of Rome. Haemimont Game's have added a more battle orientated aspect to this sim game which allows you to create a variety of soldiers from archers to cavalry in order to tackle the onslaught of the barbarians but at the end of the day, it is still a sim building game.

Graphically, the title is visually impressive with detailed environments and a solid 3D engine which assists in recreating this ancient world with the odd special effect here and there. The music accompanies the gameplay quite well with its majestic and ambient soundtrack. Match that with a variety of sound effects and you have everything you need in almost making you believe that you are a Roman god watching over your cities.

In conclusion Imperium Romanum is a sturdy game that contains quite a few different scenarios that you can engage in. It may not be the most original title on the market but as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it and this is what this game does, it gives the gamer food old fashioned sim building entertainment set in once of the most powerful empires of the ancient world.