First, while the game runs on a true 3D engine, the player is restricted to three camera views - all of which are from the same angle. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, the initial elegance of the design loses something thanks to faults in the game's control system. A column with Spearmen on their right flank may defeat a massed cavalry charge that would destroy the same mix of troops with Spearmen on their left flank. The upshot of this is that the game rewards players who take their time, study the terrain, use the Hawk and Wolf scout units to spy out enemy positions and attack with the proper array of troops in the right formations. Troops that hold the higher ground are far more effective against enemies and the many forests that dot the landscape can be used to hide soldiers for ambushes. In addition, unlike many RTS games, the landscape has a huge impact on troop effectiveness. Losing seemingly 'weak' units like your scout, the physician, or your auxiliary troops - things that wouldn't slow a player down in another RTS - can be devastating in Praetorians. Combined arms and their effective use in combat aren't just suggestions in Praetorians, they're absolutely vital. Each type of unit available in the game has a specific function - Spearmen can be set to defend against cavalry charges, cavalry are designed for fast assaults against archers and archers launch overwhelming arrow barrages against both infantry and structures. This is where the game's emphasis on tactics and strategy comes in. Players who heedlessly charge into battle without worrying about casualties are going to be crushed. It's entirely possible to achieve a Pyrrhic victory in Praetorians - overcoming a particular skirmish only to find that there aren't enough units to accomplish more important objectives. In addition, production of new units is very slow, making each group of soldiers under the player's control extremely important. Each village has a certain number of people available for recruitment and when the village is emptied it can take quite a while for it to repopulate. The game has only one resource - villagers. This is by far Praetorians' strongest feature. Praetorians immediately distinguishes itself from the pack of 'me-too' RTS clones by shifting the focus away from the traditional mechanic of 'build base, build massive army, crush opponents' to a most welcome emphasis on actual strategy and tactics. The good news is that the game manages to be a lot of fun despite some serious missteps the bad news is Praetorians falls far short of the greatness that it might have achieved. in a period of aggressive Roman expansion. Praetorians is a very solid real-time strategy title set during the first century B.C. Away from the main mode of play, single players can also engage in once-off battles in the Skirmish mode. Multiplayer support is offered for up to eight, across both LAN and Internet connections, allowing players to command any of the three in-game factions (as opposed to the single-player campaign, in which only the Romans are playable). Terrain also plays a vital role in determining the outcome of battle - allowing players to hide particular troops in forests and tall grass, or position them on higher ground for an even greater advantage. When not crushing the hapless enemy forces underfoot, players will find themselves defending strongholds from siege attacks, racing to the aid of allies, and even occasionally retreating from battle under the threat of increasing enemy numbers.

Praetorians offers a range of different mission types. By capturing villages - the game's only resource - players obtain a supply of new recruits that can be used to replenish their ranks. The single-player campaign sees players trudging through 24 missions that take place as far away as North Africa and the Middle East, as they help expand the might of Rome. A real-time strategy game from Pyro Studios, the development team responsible for the Commandos series, Praetorians forsakes conventional base-building and resource-gathering, instead allowing players to focus on the art of war alone. Set at the height of the Roman Empire, when Julius Caesar reigned supreme, Praetorians puts players in the role of an up-and-coming Roman general, battling for supremacy against both the Egyptian and the Gaul armies.

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