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Lothlorien have chosen one of the lesser known war zones of the ancient world to stage their latest military strategy game. This time we are afloat in the Mediterranean sometime between 264BC and 146BC aboard either the Fleet of Rome or Carthage. If you haven't guessed already (and if you have, award yourself a diploma in military history) we are fighting the Punic Wars.

The historical context is that Rome and Carthage were locked in a struggle for the Med and much of this prolonged war centred on the control of the sea channels.

Legions Of Death is a one or two player game in which you must ensure that your fleet is victorious in battle and succeeds in protecting its home ports. It is a test of your ability to marshall your seaborne forces over a large area and a bewildering number of situations each calling for a swift command decision. A good touch is added very early in the proceeding when you choose your "conditions of victory", i.e. the amount of captured gold, territory and destroyed enemy ships that constitute a knock out. This option allows you to vary the length and complexity of the game.

Legions Of Death could quite accurately be retitled Legions Of Icons. Originally, icons were meant to simplify command input, but now we've reached the point where there are so many icons to use that things have become just as complex. But with Legions Of Death, I'm certainly not complaining as it's a game of great depth and possibilities depending on the degree of commitment from the players.

First off is the fleet building phase where you have 1,000 pieces of gold to build, man and equip your ships. There are five types of vessel, ranging from the fast but vulnerably Bireme to the slow but formidable Heptares. Selecting modifications to your ships should be thought out in terms of improving your "grappling" capability - the ease with which you can get alongside and board an enemy vessel. One distinctive feature of ships at this time was the Corvus a stout boarding plank that makes boarding more efficient, the disadvantage of course is that it provides an excellent means of entry onto your own ship.

There are so many elements to consider that this initial phase of ship selection can take a good while especially when you are getting used to flipping through the icons. The next stage is the dispersal of your fleet and this is achieved very smoothly on a large scale map of the Med and a close-up view of the local area you are in.

Once you have placed your ship we get onto the hard part - winning the war. That this will be no easy matter is indicated by the stern tone of the instruction manual. "To issue orders to your fleet required correct manipulation of the command and enquiry structure of the program." Which means that there are a lot more icons on the horizon and to achieve what you want you have to give orders in a preset way. This icon hopping, once mastered will take you to the heart of the game and into the action. When two ships are in combat the bottom third of the screen is given over to an animated sequence of the ensuing battle.

Legions Of Death will certainly appeal to wargamers who are looking for something a little out of the ordinary and surprisingly setting it in a relatively little known period gives it a fresher feel rather than replaying battles in yet another WWII or Napoleonic scenario. Through the icon-driven system, Legions Of Death is fairly easy to get into but its complexities become more and more apparent the deeper you get into a campaign. The beginner may find the difficulty level against the computer too daunting but it is a multi-faceted game which offers something for strategy gamers of all standards. Well-packaged and with an easy-to-follow manual, Legions Of Death should offer hours of enjoyment and might teach you something about the Punic wars as well.

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