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Your rule was fair and just. Your fate may not be... You were once the proud and powerful king of Miremer, a bounteous paradise where crops grew in abundance, sheep roamed the hills and everyone was happy. But things have changed. Terrible earthquakes have ravaged your fair kingdom, mountains have collapsed on your great cities and Miremer is now but a distant memory.

Fortunately you managed to escape. As the last seismic upheaval turner Miremer into a lava-covered hellhole you managed to escape to the oceans with a few civilians and your elite corps of fighter warriors.

The journey was long and fraught with danger, but after many days of tireless searching and fine seamanship, an island paradise similar to Miremer was discovered, boasting fair weathers and fine soils. This was the place to start afresh, of that there was no doubt. The only problem is that this new land is already colonised...

You could surrender yourself and your men to the natives here, but that is not the style of a born leader, or a king. Your task is simple. This land is yours and you must conquer it, by fair means or foul. But your tiny settlement is easily outnumbered by the natives. Skill and cunning must be used. Your men could pillage small villages, but for larger towns more men will have to be recruited.

But perhaps there is one small fact that can aid your course to victory. You are not the only invading tride. Other travellers from far and distant lands have arrived, with much the same idea as you. You will have to impress the opposing captains with fine words of diplomacy as well as skill with the blade if you wish to recruit them to your banner. But remember: there can only be one Powermonger...

Unless you choose to start on a random landscape, the campaign begins on the top left island, then when that one is conquered you can move to any adjacent one. There are 195 worlds in all - that's a lot of conquering.

The key to survival is to reap the goodness from the land you have. As well as inventing weapons, your blacksmiths must invent ploughs to till the land and boats to cross the rivers. Crops are needed to feed the hungry, and sheep rearing is essential for clothing and meat.

Civilian life has an essential bearing in your aspirations of world domination. You are more likely to be able to invent better weapons if a merchant regularly visits your villages. You will also need the raw materials to make weapons such as catapults all the way down to swords, bows and pikes.

Military wit is also needed in order to succeed. Some towns may nestle at the foot of the mountains - to avoid the ravages of the wind during Winter. Natural geography can be used to your tactical advantage as surprise attacks can be created by using natural obstructions to shield your military build-ups. In the lands of Powermonger, forests are excellent cover.

Violence is a fact of life - in Powermonger too. Your captains scour the land using the words of diplomacy to recruit new followers and other leaders, and any infidel is put to the sword. But the army's role is not so limited.

Captains can be dispatched to spy on the enemy, providing essential intelligence on enemy activity. At all times it is the army that act as scouts, conquering the territory on which new hamlets can be built. Orders can be relayed via carrier pigeon, so there's usually some delay before your officers act upon them.

To depict the passage of time, the game cycles through the four seasons of the year, all of which affect the actions and abilities of your people. With winter comes the snow, which piles up in drifts, then greenery returns with the spring rains.

Following that it's sunny summer days and chirping crickets until Autumn, when the rain is back with howling winds! A prevailing high pressure front... [Enough! - Ed]

Populous was ranked as one of the greatest strategy games of all time, but, believe it or not Powermonger simply blows it out of the water!

Life is perfectly replicated in this game. Warriors brandish swords and struggle with huge catapults. Villages bustle with day-to-day activity and farmers even tend to their sheep!

The graphics are simply amazing. The weather conditions of each season have a fabulous visual effect, be it showers of rain or swirling snowstorms. The sound is better still. Birds sing, sheep baah, carrier pigeons coo and after successful combat your army even shouts "Hey!" a few times in celebration.

The depth of gameplay in Powermonger is simply unsurpassed with plenty of awesome effects. Watching your men cart a newly invented boat to a river, climb into it and paddle across is just one effect that'll blow your mind!

Guaranteed to last months, Powermonger is the best strategy game this year - and you can quote me on that!