Those enemies include not just Ares but also a host of zombies, possessed souls and a menagerie of classic mythological monsters, such as minotaurs, harpies, hydras and the Cyclops. The graphics depict this cast of characters in precise, fluid animations, with combos and attack moves seamlessly flowing into one another. (HDTV owners take note: God of War is one of the few PlayStation games to support widescreen, progressive-scan output on a high-def display.) -- Tom Ham
PlayStation 2, $50
| | | | ___Personal Tech E-letter___ Washington Post personal technology columnist Rob Pegoraro answers reader e-mail and expands on themes he touches on in his weekly newspaper column. The e-mail version of this weekly feature includes links to the latest gadget and software reviews.
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HERITAGE OF KINGS: THE SETTLERS, UbiSoft/Blue Byte
Die-hard fans of the innovative Settlers series of strategy games -- last updated in 2000 -- will likely be upset at the modernization and mainstreaming on display here. But Heritage of Kings innovates in its own way. This isn't really a sequel at all; rather, Blue Byte has crafted a new kind of game based in the same universe as the older Settlers game.
Instead of spending your time building forts and towers to expand and defend a well-defined domain, you, as the ruler of your own small village, spend most of your time roaming at will over beautifully drawn, vividly detailed maps to direct a variety of different actions. (Unlike in earlier Settlers games, fortifications and other defenses don't automatically block outsiders' movements.) The stars of the game aren't really the armies you field, but the communities you build and the people who live in them. And they will often go about their business as they see fit -- you can command your low-level serfs to fell trees and build mines and order your soldiers to attack and defend. You have little control over almost everybody else.
When you build an iron mine, for example, miners will pour into town to work it only if you also build farms to feed them and houses to shelter them. If they have full bellies and warm beds, they'll whistle a tune as they troop off to the mines each day. (They'll also pay a healthy chunk of their wages back as taxes.) But if you don't keep them fed and housed, their productivity will sag -- and if they really hate your hamlet, they will vote with their pocketbooks and emigrate from your realm.
The weather is also more than just a pretty backdrop. For example, snow slows down your armies' movements, which in turn gives your foes' archers more time to empty their quivers into your men. You can even hire meteorologists to predict the weather. Not only do they do this with much better accuracy than their real-world counterparts, in time they can even learn to control the weather itself. -- John Breeden II
Win 98 SE or newer, $40
