CENTURION 

 CENTURION is the latest effort from Kellyn Beck, the man who
brought us DEFENDER OF THE CROWN. Players of that earlier game will
find many similarities in CENTURION. CENTURION combines stunning
256-color VGA graphics with a strategy game and several arcade
sequences to simulate a Rome based more on Ben Hur than on history. 
(This review is based on the IBM-PC version.) 

 In CENTURION, you start as an ambitious officer in the Roman Army. 
You have one infantry legion, 20 talents (a unit of money), and the
province of Italia. Your goal is to conquer all of Europe, western
Asia, and northern Africa. If you manage this while keeping your
subjects content, you will be declared Caesar and win the game. 

 The strategic heart of CENTURION is a gorgeous relief map of
Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. You move your legions on
this map, attempting to win new provinces. You also move fleets
across large sea areas. These fleets may fight with enemy fleets or
transport your troops across the seas. There are two provinces that
can only be reached by this latter method, so some use of naval
forces is required. 

 As you move your legions, you will enter hostile provinces
(provinces not controlled by Rome). You'll be taken to a dialog
screen where you will see a picture of that province's leader, and
receive several conversational options. You can attempt to secure an
alliance with these leaders, but most of the time, your efforts -- 
no matter how sincere -- lead to battle. 

 In battle, you choose a starting formation and strategy for your
troops. Then your army is arrayed in a diagonal line across the
bottom and left of the screen. The opponent's troops are arrayed
opposite yours in their own formation. Once the battle begins, 
troops from both sides maneuver in small units (cohorts), in
compliance with the initial strategy determined prior to battle. You
may control some of your cohorts directly by moving a leader unit
within voice range of the unit. 

 The battle sequence is fully animated with troops marching, calvary
rearing and charging, and elephants falling to one side. You may
choose to leave your standing orders alone and simply watch the
spectacle. This portion of the game is as close to the color and
drama of miniatures as any game I have seen, on any computer. 

 Unfortunately, from a tactical point of view, this sequence is less
interesting. Your standing orders and any adjustments you might make
are less important than the ferocity and numbers of your troops and
their opponents. Your leader can have an impact on the outcome, but
in my experience, you can usually tell the winner within moments of
the first encounter. 

 In addition to this battle sequence, CENTURION offers several
arcade sequences. Fleet battles are resolved internally, but you
participate by controlling your flag ship in a duel with the
opposing fleet's flag ship. This battle is conducted from an
overhead view of the two ships. You may attempt to ram, or use your
catapult. In addition, your men automatically fire arrows at the
enemy ship when it is in range. 

 Another arcade sequence is the chariot race. This presents an
overhead close-up of your chariot. You steer the chariot across the
width of the track. You may also wield the whip against a nearby
opponent, or attempt to cut his chariot with your scythe wheels. To
gain speed, you must whip your horses, though they become fatigued
if abused. Finally, you must monitor your speed vis a vis your
position on the track. If you are to attempt to cut close to the
inside of your turns, your speed must be fairly low. If not, your
chariot will break up, and you will end up belly-riding for a while
before your hands let loose of the reins. Needless to say, this
brings your participation in the race to an ignominious end. 

 Wiping out in the chariot race does have its amusing moments, 
though. As your bloody body lies on the track, stretcher bearers
rush out to rescue you. Unfortunately, about half of the time, they
simply lift and throw your body _past_ the stretcher, and march off
leaving you back in the dust. 

 Finally, there are the gladiator shows. These can only be held
after you build a coliseum (an expensive toy). However, true to the
bread-and-circuses motto, you'll need to hold these shows
occasionally to keep the people happy. 

 In the gladiator events, you must first pick a champion for
yourself, and an opponent. Then you select the level of training for
each. Every choice costs some money, but clashes between untrained
amateurs are less likely to appease the people. Finally, you begin
the fight. This is conducted from a side perspective very
reminiscent of the sword fighting in DEFENDER OF THE CROWN. 

 If you are skilled at the games (chariot races and gladiator
fights), you may bet on the outcomes. This can help raise valuable
talents, without taxing the provinces or plundering. These latter
two actions can raise funds quickly, but can also cause discontent
and even rebellion. 

 During each turn, there is a chance that one of several random
events may occur. These usually cause you to lose money, but some
cost you prestige or give you an early promotion. In addition to
these events, marauding armies occasionally show up to plunder your
outlying provinces. 

 As you successfully add provinces to the Empire, you will be
promoted. These promotions will allow you to build larger and better
legions, all the way up to Consular Armies. These forces will be
necessary to deal with the real powers that oppose Rome: The
Carthaginians and the Egyptians. 

 CENTURION supports VGA/MCGA (320x200x256), EGA (320x200x16), and
Tandy Graphics modes. It requires 640K RAM and may be installed on a
hard disk. Copy protection is based on documentation included with
the game (a map of Europe in Roman times). The mouse is supported, 
as well as the keyboard. AdLib, Roland (MT32 and LAPC), and Tandy
sound modes are supported. The program is distributed on either
5-1/4" or 3-1/2" disks. 

 CENTURION is an interesting game to watch. Everything occurs in a
colorful manner. Animation abounds, and many of the pictures look
like digitized images. There are amusing moments, and some fun to be
had with arcade sequences. Another plus is the ability to control
the difficulty of each facet of the game separately. For those who
loved DEFENDER OF THE CROWN (or similar games), CENTURION is a
must-buy. 

 On the down side, CENTURION is not a deep strategy game. Players
hoping to recreate the historical Roman Empire should look
elsewhere. The rules are generally decent, but they neglect one
important feature: To off-load troops from a fleet, you must use the
_right_ mouse button on the fleet. I also missed having some sort of
short history of the time. This might have lent some historicity to
the package. The manual _does_ include a nice write-up on the
different formations and tactics available to the legions. 

 Bottom line: Buy it if you want a spectacular game to show off your
VGA monitor, or if you like mixed arcade/strategy games. Those who
desire a thoughtful simulation of the Roman Empire, however, should
look elsewhere. 

 CENTURION is published and distributed by Electronic Arts. 

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253