Great Invasions is a strategy game by renowned designer Philippe Thibaut (think Europa Universalis). Set in the dark ages, the game covers, essentially, the entire history of Europe - you control the fate of a them and watch as nations and religions rise and fall.

The stage is Europe and parts of Africa, and the twist is that you are not controlling one empire and attempting to dominate the world. You can take control of up to 10.

Great Invasions stays as true to history as is possible - a built in ageing system ensures that nations that died out are unlikely to survive the entire dark ages in game.

Great Invasions is ideal for history buffs - in terms of a standard strategy game things are very much abstracted - trade and diplomacy is limited to a couple of dialogue boxes, and research / resource management is almost non-existant until the later stages of a nations life. There is a reason for this abstraction, however - in having to control several nations at once you are constantly busy - anything more, and your nations would unravel very quickly, with you powerless to do anything to save more than one or two of them.

The challenge is to make your nations achieve a level of civilisation, gain control of some provinces, and fend off barbarian / viking attacks, while combatting the scourge of religious heresy. Religion is very important in Great Invasions - converting people to your faith is a good way to keep them loyal and happy.

As you become more civilised, new options will become available to you.

The graphics in this game are clean and well presented, and the interface as simple and streamlined as is possible in a large scale strategy. There are still lots of menus and management options, but the majority of information you are likely to need frequently can be accessed through tool tips. Think ‘Gary Grigsbys World at War’ but without the menu nightmare.

This is a game for history buffs - it takes you through a huge swathe of European history, refreshing your memory of junior school history lessons in a fun and enjoyable way for those too young or old to have read the ‘Horrible Histories’ books. The multi-player options are promising for those who wish to create some alternate timelines, supporting LAN and internet play.