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The Japanese - they make cars, don't they? Yes, that's what I thought, but it transpires that they also named the 16th Century as the Sengoku period - possibly after the Nissan Sengoku which was being designed at the time.

Actually, Sengoku means "a country at war with itself". The Samurai were at large and people cast small pebbles at cats in their fear. It's an Impressions wargame, is Samurai: The Way Of The Warrior. The idea is that, using various maps and selection screens, you build up the money being earned in your five cities on the island, then buy troops then go and invade a load more cities.

It's all point and click stuff, and every time you get to have a battle, it appears in real-time. Which means it's pretty slow. As you'd expect, there are loads of tedious factors concerning your money-troop concentrations. Basically, it's all pretty well thought out and, better still, almost atmospheric. A decent manual gives you a pleb's guide to Samurai-dom, and from then on, you balance the armies you produce, keep everyone happy and move your forces around the main map judiciously - and with the mouse.

Impressions are getting pretty good at these sorts of games. This one looks quite interesting, has a reasonable amount of detail - or at least, things you can do in it - and doesn't run at the same pace as Continental Drift. Despite all this, it doesn't come close to being Populous, and it still belongs on the "oh-that's-where-I-keep-all-the-wargames" shelf.

1. Faster than Ancient Battles, but without the flexibility of that game.
2. In general, this is easier to use than most military wargames.
3. There's a good attempt at that elusive quality "feel" too.