Just send for the cavalry

IF you enjoy strategy, the chances are you'll already own the first two games in this long-running series. Along with Command & Conquer, Total Annihilation and Dark Reign, Age is a classic of this genre.

This three-quel follows the highly successful template already laid down by its predecessors - build settlements, recruit armies, go to war and collect resources. You take up the game where the second instalment left off in the 16th century and must fight to assume control of the Americas.

The single player story places you in charge of three members of a family who - as well as discovering large chunks of the Americas - have to stay one step ahead of the bad guys because they possess the secret of eternal life.

The combat dynamic is pretty much the standard RTS fare - a colourful re-tread of the scissors-paper-stones game you played as kids. Cavalrymen can beat infantry, pikemen can put cavalry to the sword and infantry can beat pikemen etc., etc.

The way to win is simple: build a bigger, more powerful army then go looking for trouble. The Art of War, it ain't. You can also ally yourself with the locals if you need more manpower and there are limits on building items like ships. These games have always looked good. The battlefield is now beautifully rendered in 3D and provided your PC's graphics card is up to the job, the incidental effects are terrific. An explosion does real damage to the landscape, bits blow off buildings and rain down on your troops. Sending infantry into battle against artillery gives new meaning to the term cannon-fodder.

There's an option to turn off the eye candy if your gaming rig isn't up to the job, but doing so robs the game of a lot of atmosphere.

Age of Empires III draws you in slowly but quickly becomes insanely addictive once your army is well established. This may be just more of the same but when the formula works so well, why change it?

THE SIMS 2: NIGHTLIFE, Publisher: Electronic Arts, Format: PC, Price: £19.99: Family friendly? 2+.

YOU'VE got to hand it to Electronic Arts. It sure knows how to milk a franchise. If you've grown weary of your virtual Sims family, EA always stands ready with a plethora of expansion packs designed to pep up your gameplay.

This is the second expansion disc set for The Sims 2. It adds a new neighbourhood that's packed with restaurants, shops, parks, bars and clubs for your virtual folks to visit.

Go alone or go in a group - the decision is all yours. You can even go on a romantic date.

Throughout the game your performance is under constant scrutiny. If your character out-stays his or her welcome, you can expect to be punished. There's nothing worse than being the one who has to pick up the bar tab after a night out.

All the nightlife is geared to romance. Every bowling alley, bar and club is a potential dating venue so you can go for a bit of nosh then dance until you drop.

Bizarrely, if you aren't in the mood for love then this set gives your Sim the chance to become err...a vampire. Once transformed into denizens of the dark, they stalk the streets looking for new victims and generally becoming pain in the neck.

You can also buy cars so your Sim no longer has to rely on public transport and there are 125 new objects to play with. And that's about it.

So is what amounts to a package of extras (remember you'll need the original game as well) worth the money?

If you enjoy raising a Sims family then Nightlife certainly adds an extra and, at times, rather surreal aspect to the game but beneath the gloss it does nothing new.

One for the true Sims fan only I'm afraid, even at a bargain price.

Published: 24/01/2006