Europa Universalis II

The Good
Read my review on "Europa Universalis"; this game being 98% of the same game, that review works for this.

Several nice upgrades have been added. The game now allows the player to play any country in the world, as opposed to just eight major European powers. An engine forcing the player to make decisions around key historical events has been added. The AI seems smarter. Missionaries have been added, adding to the impact of religion on the game. A lot of idiosyncracies that made the game unrealistic have been cleaned up, too.

The Bad
Don't get me wrong; this is a GREAT game, and if you like strategy games you should buy it. But it's really not a new game at all; the sum total of changes is just a patch to Europa Universalis... a small patch. I was hoping for more. The graphics could still be a lot more elegant, the sound is still bad, and there's no scenario editor.

The Bottom Line
A classic, wonderful game set in the era of renaissance and imperialism. A must have for the PC gamer.