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Superb Gameplay (but only gets 4 of 5 stars because...)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: December 07, 1999
Author: Amazon User

First off this really is a superb game. I'm a pretty hard core gamer, and this is the first game in a long time to make me have any kind of a learning curve. Such a nice blend of Real Time and Turn Based gaming is not to be missed by anyone tired of Civilization clones, or C&C/Starcraft clones. About 3-4 times the game play of Age of Kings at best guess which is the game it is most like currently out there.

Units have enough individualization to almost approach role playing status (like individual names even) but remain quick and easy to control. Spies come as civilians or miltary units and can change color to other players coloring and go into deep cover (while the other player controls them thinking the spy is his own unit!) for the best espionage aspect in any game yet. Generals and King system is well done too. Just wait until "your" favorite general assassinates your king, and then reveals his true colors and takes 70% of your best troops with him. Ecomonic issues are thorny and require fairly close watch, but don't suffer from needing a peon system of weak defensive units that you need to build up for the first 10 minutes of every game you play before starting the game proper. Overall the AI seems fairly good as well, and solid diplomacy system too.

However...

It's not going to work straight from the box like Age of Kings. Already has two patches out. One 6MB and the other 1.2MB. Game manual that shipped with the box is also outdated according to the websites, and the updated manual is also 1MB, and requires Adobe Reader to open it (5-6MB download if you don't have it) Online Multiplayer server is still having problems as of early December 1999 and I haven't managed to log on yet, though I believe a patch is also out for that somewhere as well. (You can play via ICQ okay though - you just need to find the other players yourself through message boards etc)

Also requres a higher end system than advertised as well I think. I have 333Mhz 60MBRam and it still gets a little boggy for large scale combats of 30+ units. Graphics are reasonably good but not as beautiful as Age of Kings

All that being said, I'm planning on sticking with the game, and playing more and more of it and waiting for the online multi-player aspect to sort itself out over time. The random campain generator is a ton of fun as it is, and I'm a ways off mastering the game just yet. Oh and you can transfer a small number of units from one campain scenario to another.

Wimps can go buy Age of Kings

Trevor Chan masters and expands the RTS genre in one swoop!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: November 11, 1999
Author: Amazon User

So rarely does a sequel manage to deliver a game that doesn't rely heavily on warm-fuzzy-feelings of the previous iteration but stands on its own as a game worthy of emulation and sequel. Trevor Chan managed to expand the RTS genre with "Seven Kingdoms" (and its free add-on, "Ancient Adversaries") and he does it here again with "Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars".

The original 7K was an artistically successful look at how far an RTS wargame (like Command & Conquer) could be cross-pollinated with a sophisticated turn-based civilization builder, like Sid Meier's Civilization. As a result, 7K and 7K2 have things you don't normally see in combat-oriented RTSes, like mines, factories for peaceful production, markets and trading caravans. 7K2 simplifies and streamlines much of 7K's original "peacetime" model--and as with the original, how well you fare in peace may determine how well you're prepared for war.

7K also featured espionage as an important part of the game, and 7K2 elaborates on that even further. And while the techonlogy tree of 7K was limited to war machines and ships, 7K2 features military formations, advanced and specialist units for each race and advancements in peacetime activities like farming.

On top of all that, in 7K2, you can get down-and-dirty playing a "fryhtan" race, the mythical monsters that terrorized 7K players. If you're not in the mood for production, research and keeping your citizens happy, you can just raise monsters and subjugate humans.

This game is an essential part of the RTS canon and, unfortunately, won't get the press or reception it deserves. But that doesn't mean =you= have to miss out on it!

Great Game -- Much Better than Age of Empires II

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: November 15, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Seven Kingdoms has out done AOE again.

7KII is not just a sequel to its predecessor, it's a new game play, richer, deeper, and more intrigue. You can not only be victorious by, like the old 7K, playing one of the 12 great civilizations through commerce, diplomacy, military and espionage, but also, unlike many other games, conquer the world by being vicious and mean -- breeding monsters, collecting tributes and terrorizing human beings. Unlike AOEII, 7KII plays and feels very differently from, in most case better than, its predecessor. Its game play is dramatically different, control and interface are greatly improved, and AI gets more intelligent... All in all, everything is well thought out and improved upon. It's addictive and has great re-playability. It's one of those games that will ruin you social life and re-arrange your schedules for months to come.

However, personally, I would prefer that it has not tilted toward a war game. Although it is still one of the most "hard-core" strategic games, certainly much more so than AOE, it has also become a little more combat intensive than I like. But since the game is flexible enough to allow me, if I so choose, to win with minimum fighting (through espionage and bribery, for example), I still give this game the highest rating.

One of the best games I have played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: May 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I like Strategy games, I have played most of them, and this game is one og the best. Do people think it is complicated? Not really, once that you understand the basic concepts, you can have almost infinite variations on how to played: economically, using your spies, your population or simply your armies. Running out of people? then haven't learn how to play a strategy game, that's what strategy is, how best to use resources. Each one of your units is an individual, you get to know some of them , and with the time they gain skills, and would help you to win the game. Take care of them and you will be invencible, mistreat them, and another king will still it from you.

Then there's the heroes, this are supermen, that can handle many enemies at the time, they single handleded will beat un entire army.

Another very interesting concept is that althought at the beggining you control one race, you can gain the alegiance of other races, bringing new skills to your kingdom.

Finally, I can't forget to mention spies: train them or hire them, they will infiltrate your enemies, give you secrete information, or help you bribe general and his troops, and even some day they might become kings of other kingdom, and hand them over you.

If you are looking for a superior game experience, forget about aoe2 (boring), and give this one a try.

Great strategy game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

7k2 is one of the best strategy games around. Unlike Age of kings and clones where you gather resources, build army, attack enemy, 7k2 involves careful planning. Maybe people who think this is too complicated tried to play this like their normal Aok & co game and didn't look after their men and didn't bother to use spies.

If you like games beyond the gather, build, destroy theme, you should definitely give 7k2 a try.

In addition to the beautiful graphics and great gameplay, the option to customize games to make for good replayability makes this an excellent buy.

This game hurts

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: April 10, 2000
Author: Amazon User

If your expecting Seven Kingdoms II to be bigger and better than the original than you will be sadly dissapointed. The new Frythan kingdoms leave you with little to do but build lots of Frythans and go attack. There is no real strategy involved from their viewpoint so why bother buying this game when the first is just as much fun. All in all a poorly put together game that lacks any real improvements over the original.

The game is sound and a few improvements away from greatness

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I like Seven Kingdomes 2 but think there are a few problems. 1 is that is you are the humons your population doesn't reproduce (you use your towns men to make soilders and spies) 2. is that in the game I had trouble getting past the second level. 3 is that I would have an army and then 1/2 would just become part of the other Kingdom and walk. I still like this game and with some minor improvments could be in my top 10. Seven Kingdoms is still worth your money.

Pretty Good, I'd say

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I would say this game is pretty good. A well-made strategy. After playing the tutorial games, I ruled with the humans, who are my favorite race to play. This game takes a little to understand, ESPECIALLY with the intricacies of playing as humans. N.B. The humans are siginificantly weaker than some of the Fryhtan races. But the humans have many more possibilities. When you play them right, the Fryhtans don't stand a chance. But playing as the Fryhtans is simple and a lot of fun. The game just needs some better sound and a few more features, and it would be five-star. Unfortunately, it lacks those.

Like the game is sound,few adustments away from greatness

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: May 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I like Seven Kingdomes 2 but think there are a few problems. 1 is that is you are the humons your population doesn't reproduce (you use your towns men to make soilders and spies) 2. is that in the game I had trouble getting past the second level. 3 is that I would have an army and then 1/2 would just become part of the other Kingdom and walk. I still like this game and with some minor improvments could be in my top 10. Seven Kingdoms is still worth your money.

The worst game ever

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 14
Date: February 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

When I bought Seven Kingdoms two I thought I would be buying a real time civiltion. This was not true. The game was very complicated. The main problem when your the humons is you run out of people. It's not like age of Empires, a better game where you create people for food (it's is like that for the monsters) You people revolet and you can't even really beat the second level. Also when your army just gets up and walks away due to the computers unfair spying skill. This is a horrible game

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