Knights and Merchants

Fighting the Good Fight K&M features four basic unit types in several strengths: bowmen who can become crossbowmen; militia who become ax fighters and swordsmen; lance carriers who become pikemen; and scouts who turn into knights. The combat system resembles the old rock-paper-scissors game. Ax fighters are powerful attackers, but they're outmatched by scouts on horseback, while scouts are susceptible to lances and pikes. Pikemen die quickly beneath the arrows of bowmen, who in turn are fodder for ax fighters. You can control your troops in several ways. You can move them by unit type, feed them, and wheel them about. However, you can't place them on patrol, and they have a disconcerting habit of ignoring a foe when not directly engaged. I've seen entire battalions calmly stand at attention while friendly troops within a few yards were being sliced and diced by marauding enemy knights. The lack of many combat unit types makes for real-time battles with a low learning curve, but it also leads to a certain repetitiveness that gradually seeps into the game. Even with different maps and terrains, K&M's 20 rigidly linear scenarios with these streamlined units can strain a player's interest. The Road Not Taken Joymania could have alleviated the repetition by employing branching scenarios at several points, as in Heroes of Might and Magic II, or allowing you to choose from among multiple strategic targets on the overall land mass, as in Jagged Alliance. These options would have encouraged replay. Perhaps you'd be left to wonder what the outcome might have been if you'd decided to fight with an alternate strategy. ("Hmmm...if I had decided to fight Baron A, with his renowned cavalry, to the north instead of Baron B's lances to the east on the seashore, what would have happened?") As it is, K&M is best played in brief bursts rather than with the intensity of, say, Caesar III, where the environment and win conditions vary significantly throughout the campaign. Multiplayer mode, however, is K&M's saving grace, specifically because gameplay is less restrictive than in single-player mode. There's more freedom with multiplayer because you can determine starting position, map, and possessions; send private messages; and form or break alliances with your human opponents. Up to six players can compete via the Internet, a private network, or null-modem connection. K&M's visual charm is undeniable, and the resource management chain is enjoyable to master, but as a standalone game of 20 scenarios, it's a bit too repetitive, and the combat AI is poor. Multiplayer is fun, though. And in any case, those serfs are a kick to watch. Tips -Playing without the CD lets you avoid the logos and repetitive cut scenes at the start of the game and between scenarios. -Be sure to check your storehouse immediately. Depending upon the scenario, different items may be in short supply, necessitating a different building order. -Rarely can you have too much wood or wheat. It pays to add extra farms and foresters. -There are many times when you can't prevent an enemy invasion, so place a cheap-to-build structure such as a forester's hut nearest to the enemy's territory. They'll usually burn it, then retreat, but you don't want them burning your storehouse or barracks instead. -Build a vineyard before you start building up an army. Sure, a vineyard costs more wood than any other structure, and wine is less filling to your noncombatants than either bread or sausages. But wine is much quicker to produce than other food, and your armies are nourished at an equal rate by all food. -Broaden your roads as you expand your town, so your serfs aren't temporarily blocked in their tasks by one-lane highways. Do this especially in front of your most frequently accessed buildings, such as the storehouse. -Keep your bowmen/crossbowmen behind other units, as they have no skill at close combat. If the battle is going badly for your infantry and cavalry, quickly send your archer types back toward town so they don't attract the enemy's attention. Barry Brenesal has been a contributing editor and writer for a variety of computer publications for the past decade. Agree or disagree with this review? Let us know.