Centurion: Defender of Rome
Description official descriptions
Starting as a young Roman legionnaire in 275BC, your job is to conquer the known world through force or diplomacy, fighting on land and sea.
Centurion: Defender of Rome is a turn-based strategy game. You start with one province, Rome, and one legion. To complete the game, you have to conquer all the provinces on the map.
One part of the game is micro-managing your provinces. You set up tax rates and make people happy by organizing games. In Rome, you can organize a chariot race, a gladiatorial combat or even a simulated naval battle; this starts an action mini-game where you control the chariot rider, gladiator or ship.
Another part of the game is military conquest. You can raise legions or strengthen them in any province you control (let's just hope there are enough men in the province, or your legion will be incomplete and weaker). There are three types of legions, each of them has a different strength. You can also move a legion to a neighbouring province.
When you enter a province you don't yet control, you can speak with the ruler there. With luck, you can convince him to give you the province for free; but this isn't very likely, and you'll often have to fight.
When your legion attacks a province, or defends one of your provinces from an invader, the game switches to an isometric view of the battlefield. You can give orders to your legion (assuming they are within the range of their commander's voice) and watch as they duke it out with the enemy forces. Eventually, one of the sides will be completely wiped out or panic and retreat.
Finally, you can buy warships and have naval battles with the enemy fleet. This is represented as an action mini-game, depicting a duel of the flagships; however, the outcome of the battle actually depends on the strength of your fleet.
Spellings
- ă»ăłăă„ăȘăȘăł Defender of Rome - Japanese spelling
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 70% (based on 26 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 75 ratings with 9 reviews)
Centurion: Pretender to the Throne?
The Good
Centurion: Defender of Rome has a prestigious pedigree, being a close spiritual descendant of the classic Cinemaware titles of the late 1980s. In particular, it tries very hard to be a Roman Defender of the Crown. In some ways, it actually succeeds.
The game concept itself is awesome, as there is a wealth of both real and fictional (AKA âHollywoodâ) Roman history for the designers to draw upon. Even if you donât think you know anything about the Roman Empire, you probably do â even if it is just the vague references and images you inevitably pick up on from reading books and watching movies and television. As you would expect from a Cinemaware-style game, the graphics are splendid, particularly in the âsplashâ screens that set the scene for the gameâs big events.
Diplomatic encounters inject quite a bit of personality into Centurion, in addition to providing a non-military path to victory over your enemies. Sometimes this âpersonalityâ is quite literal; your pulse canât help but quicken a bit when you first encounter the legendary Cleopatra herself!
The tactical battles are amusing and manageable at the lower difficulty levels. As for the bigger picture, the grand strategy involved can be rather interesting and challenging. Care to play Roman Risk, anyone? I also enjoyed the gladiator combat once I got the hang of it and figured out its function in the game (which makes sense but isnât all that obvious if you just play the game without studying the instructions first).
The Bad
I had some fun playing Centurion, but I have to admit to being disappointed with it in the final analysis. The good intentions are there, but the designers just didnât come through with the level of quality I expected.
The PC-speaker sounds/music are not just bad, they are downright intolerable. The legion listings have no information on commanding generals, even though managing your generals is (or should be) a key to your success. Land battles are highly unrealistic; there is no variation of terrain, no missile warfare, etc. It is very tedious and awkward to direct individual units in battle, which would not be a problem except for the fact that you absolutely MUST micromanage your troops at higher difficulty levels to have even a prayer of winning.
The naval element is not properly balanced, as sea battles are generally unnecessary, and not an efficient path to conquest anyway. Navies are way more expensive than armies, and not as much fun, so youâll probably end up conquering the Mediterranean by traveling exclusively overland. Not exactly true to Roman history, is it?
As for the chariot racing, it simply isnât fun. Races are long, dull, and difficult; the control scheme frankly feels broken. Good thing chariot races aren't required to finish the game! Also, even though I enjoyed the gladiator matches, they don't seem to be necessary for finishing the game, as the masses can be appeased in other ways. Dueling in the arena can be a welcome respite from the rest of Centurion, but thatâs about all its good for.
The Bottom Line
Some aspects of Centurion are entertaining, but the game as a whole is ultimately more "bread and circuses" than substance. It's ok, but it's no Defender of the Crown.
DOS · by PCGamer77 (3158) · 2019
Full of promise but never delivered
The Good
The basic "Cinemaware" style game mechanic was well executed (strategic map for troop movement and area control linked by mini-arcade games).
The land battles were interesting, once you understood the strategy, but could be very frustrating if you did not.
And who can beat the subject matter!
The Bad
The arcade games were horrible! The true Cinemaware games walked a fine line between simple and simplistic, but EA's attempt at the genre had a severe lack of control and depth.
Gladiator combat lacked any subtley (bang keys until you win/lose) and the chariot racing was equally disappointing.
Finally, the graphic look of the game was disappointing. This was released years after the original Cinemare games, yet hardly improved on their style.
The Bottom Line
Defender of The Crown meets Ben Hur. But in a bad way.
DOS · by Tony Van (2797) · 2000
The Good
A very good port from the Amiga, Centurion is an excellent strategy game with great replay value and good gameplay. Although it can basically be finished within an hour or so, the game features well-rounded gameplay with great combat, interesting types of minigames and good managerial section.
Designed by legend Kellyn Beck (who also designed just-as-legendary Defender of the Crown), it is one of the best games I've ever played. Excellent graphics, good music, good controls and excellent gameplay make this one game you will not forget.
The Bad
Although a good game on its own, the PC version does have its drawbacks:
- The music is FM-based and not nearly as good as in the Amiga. Although the limitations are understanble, I still think it could have been done better.
- Very weak diplomacy, which is present in the original version as well, and that is unfortunate.
- Horrible sound effects. Jesus, and I thought the Amiga sound effects were bad...
- The game is too damn easy. I could never finish it on the Amiga, and the hardest setting on the PC is not nearly as difficult.
The Bottom Line
Overall, an excellent strategy game for the whole family. Wait, wrong game. Just play it, for crying out loud.
DOS · by Tomer Gabel (4538) · 2000
Trivia
Awards
- Enchanted Realms
- September 1991 (Issue #8) â Distinctive Adventure Award
Music
The music used in the naval battles was taken from the movie Ben Hur. It was in the scene where Ben Hur was a galley slave.
Information also contributed by William Shawn McDonie
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The Homepage of Mark the Conqueror
screenshots, information, tips, & a tutorial for Centurion: Defender of Rome
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Raphael.
Genesis added by PCGamer77. PC-98, FM Towns added by Terok Nor. Amiga added by MAT.
Additional contributors: MAT, Patrick Bregger, Narushima.
Game added August 14, 1999. Last modified January 11, 2024.