The Game Boy has never been particularly well served with strategy games. In fact, consoles haven't been, full stop. The RTS (Real-Time Strategy) genre started on the PC, after all, and with a mouse it's generally the PC that's best equipped to play such games as Command & Conquer, Warcraft II and Age of Empires.
But Napoleon may be able to change all that. The game is set, obviously, during the Napoleonic wars, and, as with all games in the genre, you have to use each unit type effectively to get the most out
of it. Foot soldiers are, as always, cheap but numerous; cavalry is fast; and artillery is devastatingly powerful but practically defenceless when the enemy closes in. The twist with Napoleon is,
that instead of selecting the units as a kind of "God" character, you are the leader of your army. As the leader you can issue orders tot he rest of your army, but you must be careful not to get killed or you lose. Conversely, you can kill your opponents' leader to ruin their
chances.
The game will also feature a lot of resource management, requiring you to balance the mining of important minerals with battling against the enemy, and ensuring you produce the right kinds of soldiers or the correct building for the occasion. This game looks excellent. My only worry is how well the control system will work. If this game plays
anywhere near as well as it looks, it should be right up near the top of your shopping list alongside Mario Kart Advance!
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