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Product Description

Rome: Total War Gold puts you in command of the ancient world's greatest armies. Storm clouds will gather over Europe, Asia and North Africa as you lay siege to civilizations using powerful war engines. Prepare your army and develop strategies for victory, then enjoy wealth and power unlike any who came before you. Gold Edition features the original Rome: Total War and its expansions, The Barbarian Invasions.

Customer Reviews:

• Great.
  RTW Gold Edition is a great gaming experiance. With epic battles and great graphics it depicts the rise of Rome. With its expansion it delivers an awe inspiring invasion of Barbarians and the fall of Rome. Overall a great gaem, and it got here before it was supposed to !...more info
• Excellent strategy game
  This game is a lot of fun and you can certainly play it for many hours. I do get a bit tired of constantly fighting rebels and revolts but an excellent upgrade from previous games in the series....more info
• Great Campaigns, Great 3D battles.
  In Rome: Total War, you play on 2 maps. The Campaign Map, and the Battle Map. I haven't tried Barbarian Invasion yet, but I do enjoy Rome without it so far. That said, what I say here may be inaccurate if you install Barbarian Invasion.
  In Rome, you play as a Roman Faction: the Julii, the Brutii, or the Scipii. You have to order the production of buildings, units, and fortresses. You build armies as you go around and conquer settlements, and defeat enemies. The battles on the battle map are really fun, incorporating strategy with sheer force. The graphics are not bad, but in the Battle Map, if you zoom in enough, you really know the people are fake.Rome has a good tutorial and easy enough controls.(Come on, It's just clicking mostly) The time I do find myself frustrated is when it loads the battle map. (It may take up to Half an Hour on my computer, but no more than that) But in the end, the battles are good enough to keep me playing. Also, you will definitely be challenged in this game. I dont care how much experience you have had with RTS/Empire Builder games, this is a challenging game. You can negotiate with rival factions, assassinate generals, and spy on armies and settlements. Multiplayer, has much to be desired, however. Really, you shouldn't get this game for the multiplayer.
  
  Pros:
  -The game is a challenge, and doesn't get boring for a while, definitely good replay value
  -Involves lots of cunning/strategy
  -Battles are fun on Battle Map
  -Very involved game
  
  Cons:
  -Multiplayer and Random Battles are boring
  -No 3D Battle Maps at sea
  -Long time to load
  
  ...more info
• Civilization meets real time tactical combat
  The AI isn't entirely challenging, but that is really true of all games. Until programmers can come up with truely great AI I will just have to keep giving games 4/5 and 9/10. This game is more a 9/10 than a 4/5 btw.
  
  If anyone knows about an old game called Archon, this game is to Civilization what Archon was to Chess, it takes the basic Civilization game (capturing cities, expanding empire, building armies and upgrading cities) and adds a real-time combat element....more info
• Excellent price for a great game
  Not only do you get the full game but also the expansion pack for a reasonable price. The replay value of both titles alone definately justifies the expense. I cannot recommend this game enough. Even after almost 2 years on the market I can still pick it up every couple months and march my Legions to conquest.
  
  Below are my comments for each game.
  
  ORIGINAL ROME: TOTAL WAR
  
  This is the game I've always wanted to play. It has such a superb blend of strategy and real time action. Ever play a turn based strategy game and want to really watch your troops battle it out and control the formations and tactics? Now you can. Of course there will be something people don't like, but there are many mods out there to tweak it to your exact taste. The Total War community is healthy in that there is a significant population tweaking and modding the game to your particular flavor.
  
  Let me just say also I am not a RTS fan. I do not like "whomever clicks the fastest wins" games. Each single soldier is represented on the battlefield. It's truly amazing watching your Legions march across arid deserts, snow covered mountains to engage the enemy and clash together right in front of your eyes. Each battle is like a scene out of Braveheart or, more appropriately, Gladiator.
  
  No other game can capture the scope of an immense battle like Rome: Total War can. Especially the battles consisting of many units, it's like an epic battle from your favorite movie.
  
  It is not purely the battles, it has a strategy element in it to where you will manage cities, build structures and conduct diplomacy.
  
  Overall, even if you are not a fan of Strategy or RTS games you will find this to your liking. There is so many good things about this game, it would fill many pages writing about all the pluses and things the developers did right here. A definate must have for any gamer.
  
  BARBARIAN INVASION
  
  The Total War community has given a lot of feedback to the developers on the improvements they would like to see. I'd say pretty much all of the biggies were addressed and added in Barbarian Invasion. Rome: Total War is hands down one of my all-time favorites and a game I can still pickup and play again and again.
  
  There is a lot of upgraded features you would expect from an expansion...little better graphics, upgraded units and increased functionality. The upgrades to the AI are the most noticeable, in my opinion.
  
  The Total War community waited over a year for this to be released and it is readily apparent the developers spent this time to deliver an outstanding expansion. The price tag is definately worth it as well. The time period for the expansion is set in the declining years of the Roman Empire so basically you are getting a whole new game with this expansion.
  
  The new game element rearranges the map to take into account what has happened historically in the last three hundred years. The Roman Empire is split between west and east and all the old factions from Rome:Total War have been assimilated into the Roman Empire. An interesting historical note when the game begins for the Eastern Roman Empire is the Faction Leader Valens. His defeat against the Goths was considered a milestone in the decline of the Roman Empire (for both halves). Not only was his army defeated, but the Emperor Valens was also killed. Oh and the Goths will come for you...Oh yes, they will come.
  
  The Parthians have been surplanted by the Sassanid Empire in the east, but essentially all the old factions have become roman provinces. Basically, it's the barbarian factions battling it out for the choice pieces of real estate.
  
  The new expansion is noticeably harder depending on which faction you play. The Western Roman Empire is by far the most difficult which took a great deal of time to beat. Why is it so difficult? Barbarian factions with a few exceptions don't die when you take their last city - they become a Horde. This is challenging in that you can't just move through and conquer cities to annihilate the Huns, Vandals, Sarmatians,etc. You need to not only conquer all their cities but kill every single family member in order to wipe the faction from the map or they will just keep spawning as new Hordes. You must fight them out in the open which pits you against their horse archers. As you play you will find different strategies on dealing with them, but needless to say it's very fun and challenging. My personal method is the very liberal use of assassins and fortifying cities while I pick apart their horde until I get their family members eliminated.
  
  Bottomline - 5 out of 5 and highly recommended no matter what game genre you typically lean towards. You won't regret it....more info
• One of the Best Strategy Games
  What a great game. If you are into strategy games this is a must. The mix of turn based and RTS components helps to make this a complete game. Lots of content - I would highly recommend it. The biggest problem is tearing yourself away from the computer....more info
• Great value for money
  Rome is an excellent game, one of the few which I like to play again and again. And for its current price, it's a must-have....more info
• really shocked...
  I usually dont write reviews about the products i buy but because how much I hated this game i want to share how much and why i hated this game.
  in every game where you take care of a country and its army, I think the producers are chellanging themselves with a real tough one. for the buildings you gotta be careful not to limit the player with few spots he can build buildings on them which is something i really hate, like Lord of the Rings: battle of middle earth. I love it more when you manipulate the advanced 3D graphics, like C&C series and black and white and many other games, constructing buildings in this game takes the worst way ever which is statistical way where you order them to build by clicking a button and somehow it's built somewhere in your city and they show you little picture telling you that you got it. and then you can visit your promised building by waiting 1 to 2 minutes to load your stupid city. That really reminds me of some MS-DOS games i played when i was kid except they didnt take that long to load.
  moving to the army leading. First, this is a strategic game, not chess. I dont want to move my armies represented by one man. wither you got China-conquering army or one dog you're still moving one tower-big man except the stupid color in the flag of the army. and your man can't reach or cross many points and you will realize that late because of the stupid turns-idea. I had to reach some city within 3 turns to complete me mission but because there was a river, i had to go around the mountins which took me 6 turns. Even in the battle mood, i cant contorol my men 50 enemy dogs killed 20 knights and 80 soldiers. while they were running around. Seriously, I felt i was playing FIFA and my players were just missing the ball. my archers never looked like they knew there is a battle going on unless you get a REAL CLOSE look on them, you can know if they are using thier arrows by watching the blue bar for how many arrows left with them to see if it is decreasing.
  bottom line, here are some alternatives:
  if you like Rome games, get Ceaser.
  if you like to get a close look on your army fighting get Black and White.
  if you like old ages cities, get black and white, age of empires.
  if you like to play strategic games with chess stones, get heroes.
  if you like to play a GAME, try anything else, this one is full of glitches and program mistakes......more info
• The best Historical War Game ever. Or at least so far.
  I have been playing war games since before computers. Avalon Hill etc. I started with computer war games in 1995 and have bought many games since.Probably around 100 or so.
  
  This game encompasses historical economies, war strategies and social dynamice unlike any before it. If this genre interests you....look no further....more info
• Solid Game at a Great Price
  Anyone interested in ancient cultures, military tactics, or both will enjoy this game. I played it at a friend of mine's house and loved it. I couldn't believe I got it on Amazon for $11 total with shipping and handling, but then again this game is about 3 years old. For that price, definitely worth it, but even at $20 this is a great game. It will last you a very long time....more info
• Excellent Game
  OK, I don't actually play this game. I purchased it for my son and Husband. They absolutely Love it!!!!!!! I have to tear them away from the computer!!! I have watched them play and the graphics are great and it seems to be very realalistic. If you like war games don't hesitate on purchasing this one. You won't be disappointed!...more info
• For the love of Jake
  I bought this for my husband for Christmas, not because I love it when he spends tons of time playing this game, but because I love him. And Honestly, I've got it good, it's pretty rare that he'll play computer games, and I have my own time killers that I play too, so I felt it was only fair to get this for him. He'd had a copy before but then lost it when we moved from our first place, so I got him this one. He really enjoys it for both the strategy involved as well as the historically based battles and the visual elements. I have to admit, it is kind of cool . . . But I'm just not a war person, so I doubt I'll ever play it myself....more info
• Total excitement, Total Immersion, Total War!
  Four years hasn't dulled the majesty of this game.
  
  My graphics card recently bit the dust, and I'm stuck with a weak chipset. So, while waiting for my new card, I was looking for an older game my system could handle.
  
  I'm a big fan of MEDIEVAL II: TOTAL WAR, so I decided to give its older brother a spin. Good choice.
  
  Although the graphics are starting to date. (Though they're still impressive.) The game play hasn't. Like M2, this is a game you can play over and over again and only scratch the surface. It's both edge-of-you-seat exciting and intellectually deep. A combination rarely found in today's games.
  
  And its forgiving system specs make it a good choice for an aging system, or a laptop.
  
  This is one of those games you'll play for hours upon hours, and remember for years. Buy with confidence. This is a top gaming experience. ...more info
• Understand: This is a very very unstable game with NO SUPPORT
  This game, as all have said, has all the hallmarks of being a near-perfect strategy and wargame. It remains a terribly disappointing option because of its frequency of crashes - don't believe me? check their forums: you will find hundreds of lost souls trying to find out how to make the game run - most often by chasing down obscure drivers from years past. SEGA support is non-existent - they neither know nor care about fixing your problem whatever it may be.
  
  I run a dual-core 64-bit system with 1G of RAM and a 256mg video card. I can run any game made today. I purchased the new February 06 Gold Edition of this game - it includes all patches and updates and the expansion.
  
  Crashes. every. single. time. A good test is to note right off if when playing the tutorial if youre mouse lags slightly behind normal. This is a sure sign that it will crash very soon. If going on line and postin gyour dxdiag file in a forum and praying that someone will help you sounds like your cup-of tea, then release the hounds.
  
  I commend the game in it's visuals, game design, and the AI is wonderful, but No One should buy this game expecting it to work without a lot of work by the purchaser getting it to run.
  And make no mistake: no single entity involved in creating this game is available in any way to help you.
  ...more info
• terrible
  this was terrible the game would not work with a compatible computer and they sent it used even though the receipt said new....more info
• Incredible Games
  As a 61 year old gamer and historian who started with Avalon Hill games as a teen, I find RTW and Barbarian Invasion to be supremely satisfying. You haven't lived yet until you have fought three separate Hun armies between turns and win with just your one Roman army. Especially intriguing when two of their armies attack simultaneously and you have to defeat one quickly and wheel your army about to face the second coming from your rear. Yes, horses were terrified at the sight and smell of elephants as attested to by the writings of Ammianus Marcellinus, the late 4th Century Roman chronicler and soldier who fought against Persian elephants....more info
• Great Game for Ancient History Buffs!
  This is hands down one of my favorite games. Game play covers from c. 270 B.C. till about the sixth century. There are somewhere around a dozen historical civilizations in both games which have to be unlocked before they are available. Each civilization has unique military units such as the Parthian archer or the Hun horseman (two of my personal favorites!). You can play a main campaign game in which you manage cities, conduct diplomacy and espionage, and fight battles or you can go straight to the custom battles where you set up your own and the CPU players army. If you like strategy and role playing then you will love this game....more info
• Still the best Game
  I have been playing this game since it first came out years ago. I tried some other games but continue to come back to this one. This game can be played again and again with a different experience each time. Still after all these years one of the best games on the market and a great value at the current price....more info
• Rome Total War delivers one of the deepest, most addicting stradegy games of all time!
  I fell in love with Rome: Total War the first minute I heard about. Four years later I still play and enjoy the game.
  
  Rome Total War - I would have to say this ranks among the top PC games of all time. When you start the game you are given the choice of one of the three Roman Factions. As you play the game and conquer factons, you unlock those factions to be played in campaign mode. I would have to say that the campaign mode is extremely deep, and may cause you many sleepless nights. As you play with your Roman faction, you are assigned missions by the Senate to go and conquer certain territories or blockade certain ports. Of course you are given discretion in the ability to conquer other territories or if you just don't want to listen to the Senate at all. Whenever you fight a battle you enter the battle map. This is what separates the Total War series from Civilization. Rome: Total War itself looks great with incredible graphics and beatiful settings. My favorite part of the battles is that the maps are accurate of your location on the campaign map. If you are by the sea, you will see the body of water in the same direction relative to your army as it was on the campaign map. The combination of the battle map and the campaign map (a civilization style map) is what hooks you to the game. You're able to control what happens in battles. In other games, if your army is smaller, you lose. What's great about Rome Total War is that you may use stradegy in the most bleak situtations to come out victorious. I played battles where my army was outnumbered 5:1 as I defended a city where I was able to drive the enemy away. Eventually you will reach the peak of the mountain as you conquer Rome and lead all the factions. What's great is that once you finish a campaign (which will take a long time to begin with), you can play again with a different Roman Faction or another faction which you conquered. I have only a couple criticisms of the game. My first is that all that all the soldiers within each unit look exactly alike. Thankfully, there are many different soldier types to adress this issue. Secondly, in the battles, your soldiers repeat a couple motions over and over. It becomes repetitive. Thankfully this issue was resolved in medieval total war. My last complaint was that you had no control over naval battles. When the odds in a battle were close to 1:1, it was simply a flip of the coin who won. All in all, Rome: Total War will give you hours and hours of gameplay, which you will probably never get bored of.
  
  Barbarian Invasion - I'll make this one short and sweet. Barbarian Invasion was a good expansion, but a little disappointing. The game shifts to the period towards the end of the Roman Empire, as it is divided between the East and West. This time you are given the ablity to play as one of the two Roman factions (Eastern and Western) or several other barbarian factions such as the Franks or Safavids. When I got the expansion, I decided to try something new and play with a barbarian faction. Simply to say, it soon became a frustrating experience as many of my settlements revolted and my money was going down the drain. Barbarian Invasions is much more diffucult than the original game, with an added complication in religion. The new night battles are cool, but they aren't enough to overcome the frustration on the campaign map. Chances are you'll probably be taking this disc out and putting in the original Rome: Total War.
  
  To simply put it I gave this game five stars mostly because of the original game. The expansion set will provide a nice little diversion but is not nearly as addicting as the original. I also highly recommend Medieval II: Total War....more info
• True modern day classic
  If you like strategy and you havent played this game, you really need to pick it up!
  At this price it cant be passed up....more info
• Fun
  fun for hours on end...can get a bit tedious at times but never enough to bring the level of gameplay down. AI could be a bit better. MORE THAN WORTH THE MONEY SPENT! ...more info
• Pretty good.
  This game is pretty good I guess. I enjoyed it but if you are planning to buy it keep the following in mind.
  1. Be prepared to put a lot of time into this game
  2. This game requires a lot of micro management (building up towns, maintaining diplomatic relations, improving trade and production)
  3. If you are looking for an action game, try a different one. The battles are outstanding and there is an option to play "Historical Battles" (like a quick action function) but the main focus of the game is to create an Empire and the battle aspect seems to be only a fraction of the entire gameplay.
  
  Very well put together. I highly recommend it....more info
• Best RTS Game out there!
  Total War makes the best RTS games out there! I belive Medival 2 is the greatest of them all but if you are into Rome's History Rome Total war is the game for you! My sugestion is to play Rome Total War first and then intall Barbarian Invation! They take place in diferent eras so is like having 2 games in one... If you intall the expantion you cannot play the regular Rome total War version... ...more info
• Best RTS After AoE
  After playing Shogun: Total War, I moved into Age of Empires. Don't get me wrong that Empires is probably one of the best PC games available to normal humans, but it grew tiring destroying the same things over and over, and before I knew it, I had found myself in a gaming rut.
  
  That's when I stumbled onto Rome: Total War on one of my late-night Amazon expeditions. At the asking price (around $15), how could I say no?! I rushed home from work 2 days later and installed it immediately. What I found was gameplay similar to Shogun, but with new features, armies, and a whole new experience. For those who are "history buffs" such as myself, you will find an appreciation in the developers ability to describe history without sacrificing much accuracy in favor of gameplay. And for those who are looking for a brutal, violent recreation of a scene right out of Gladiator or 300, you can always go to "Custom" or "Quick Battle" and get your kill on in about 5 minutes. I will admit that some controls take a little getting used to, as well as an understanding of unit abilities and basically learning the ropes in the Art of War, but you'll be literally stuck to your computer for atleast 4 hours at a time, and considering that the in-game helpers (Marcus and "Lady" as I dubbed her) are more than willing to assist you in affairs of combat and state, you will pick it up in actually no time at all.
  
  As a student of war (Army), I enjoy military history as well as battlefield tactics. And while this is 100% perfect, its about a 99.5 in my book. The ability to move certain troops and to launch ambushes, flank maneuvers, and counter-attacks made me feel just like Hannibal or Patton. There's literally nothing more satisfying than using light infantry and shock cavalry to lure your enemy into a dreaded double-envelope or to see them run in terror at your General or your ferocious wardogs.
  
  Buy this game. ...more info
• Rome-Total War Review
  Rome Total War is an excellent strategy game with decent graphics and an expansive map. The Barbarian Invasion expansion pack is a waste of time and money however. It is nearly impossible to win or even last more than a few turns. ...more info
• Strategic combat at its best
  While I am personally more fond of Rome's predecessor, Medieval: Total War, the latest in the Total War series is nothing short of excellent. Much has been improved on, especially the real-time combat and gameplay mechanics. The meek AI, underdeveloped naval combat, and drab visuals that marred Medieval have been done away with for the latest installation.
  
  One of the greatest strengths of the series has always been its ability to capture the truly epic feel of worldwide warfare, regardless of whether you are looking over the whole of Europe or watching rank-and-file armies advancing upon each other. This is especially true with the new 3D combat engine, which is vastly superior to Medieval's. The units are all fully modeled and animated, and the camera is much more maneuverable, allowing you to get up close. This isn't very handy from a command standpoint, but it really makes the battles come alive. Battles in cities and forts are also much more fun, since they are more balanced and take place in full-sized replicas of the cities you see on the world map, down to the individual buildings you or your opponent have constructed.
  
  The mechanics of the strategy portion of the game are different. Instead of treating each provence as a whole entity, with units being able to move between them once per turn, units move relative to the physical distance they must cross on the map, with cities being the points of interest you must find. While this adds more strategy and realism to the game (since it will obviously take longer for an army to cross an African desert than the Italian peninsula), this makes the game move much more slowly and, I feel, detracts from the excitement and fun. Fortunately, the game compensates for this and does not require conquering the entire map to win; under the new rules of the game it would take a very, very long time.
  
  The expasion, while not lacking in content, is slightly on the boring side. I believe my opinion may be slightly tainted since I am not as fond of the play styles inherent in choosing tribal factions which compose virtually all the playable ones in Barbarian Invasion. Still, after playing several full games of Rome, I found that the expansion did not offer enough new material to hold my interest for very long. Besides, there is plenty of fun to be had without the expansion, due to the wider range of factions and units.
  
  Fans of the series will not be disappointed, which seems to be a rarity these days. Newcomers should be prepared for a challenge, but the game does a good job of breaking people in and letting them enjoy the game from start to finish....more info
• Very good game
  For me Total War Series is the best in strategic battles and Rome Total War is not an exception.
  
  You begin with 2 or 3 cities and you have to conquer about 55 (in short campaign only about 25). The game begins in 3o century BC, if you play with roman factions you have lots of troops avalaible and new troops after Mario reforms (and historic event that occurs randomly).
  
  The only bad point is that you can not play with no roman factions until you win a campaign.
  
  "Barbarian Invasion" is a highly recommendable extension. If you have played Rome, it will surprise because you will have to play in a very different way.
  
  If you play with Roman factions, you must avoid the fall of the Empire. You have new troops, and a weak empire (many cities, but few roads and ports).
  
  However, if you play with a barbarian faction you will have yo play in a very different way. Starting with almost no cities, you will have to settle your people in the Roman Empire fighting against Rome and other Barbars....more info