Customer Reviews:
 Different and great September 4, 2008
This is Medieval military strategy made simple, simple like Mozart. There could be more in it, but let's face it, there is already a lot, and you don't feel like anything is missing either.
The campaign basically consists of moving from battle to battle. Conversations between the battles tell the story. The dialog is decent, and the voice acting combined with the talking heads and the music creates a very good atmosphere in these episodes, which carries over to the battles themselves. Seeing my army move on a map also makes the game more engrossing (well, that's pretty basic). Sometimes it's possible to choose whether to stop on the way to help a village or a friend, or continue to the present destination. The hero is often in a hurry, and the choice WILL have consequences.
The army begins with a cavalry, footmen, crossbowmen, and a cannon, and soon enough a wizard joins up. There are also variations of each basic class of troops. There are, for example, footmen who wield two-handed swords instead of sword and shield, and so have a greater offense capability but lesser defense, good for taking out enemy cannons, for example, as armor doesn't protect footmen from cannon fire anyway, and they are much cheaper to recruit than cavalry units.
Army units gain experience throughout the campaign, which will make them better fighters, but also more expensive to replenish. Losing a whole unit means a permanent loss that can't be restored. A wizard is a troop of one, so losing a wizard is a permanent loss.
Unit leaders can wield magic items, such as weapons, which can be found (not always easily) on the battle field. Occasionally they can be stolen from enemy leaders, but only if you manage to kill them before they flee the combat. Troops can be enhanced with additional armor bought between battles. It will make them tougher but, again, also more expensive to recruit.
All of that make the game, not just a unique experience, but immersive as well. It's better than Myth, trust me.
The game is a little bit difficult to get to work on a modern machine. I don't quite remember how I did it, but at some point before starting the game, if I remember correctly, you get an opportunity to configure some aspects of the game. That's where there are a couple of critical boxes to be ticked or unticked. The other one determines whether you will see terrain in the game, or just black in its place.
One more note. The campaign is very challenging, unless you know every "trick" in the game before you even start it. I didn't quite make it this time, but I'll try again sometime. Challenge in this game is of course a good thing, so all sort of walkthroughs should be avoided. Some games are "challenging", because they have mindless, annoying puzzles or some such. Dark Omen is different.
 A fun and addictive classic July 25, 2007
If you're into these type of games, buy it. Although simple and old, the game is a lot of fun. The soundtrack makes the battles exciting but the AI gets a bit predictable. Casting a spell with your fire mage and setting entire legions of zombies and ogres on fire, and watching them scream and run for their lives is quite satisfying. There is lots of magic and different groups you can add to your army. Also, it is an immense improvement over the Playstation version.
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