Designed by Brady Games Inc Distributed by Activision Minimum System Requirements Windows 95/98/ME/2000 Pentium 166 or faster (Multiplay requires Pentium II 266) 64 MB RAM Quadspeed (4x) CD-ROM drive 100% Microsoft-compatible Mouse and keyboard 4MB SVGA Video Card (PCI or AGP) w\ Direct X 7.0a 16-bit soundcard 500 MB for installation and swap file Da Introduction: There are only two kinds of people in the world, those who wish to be controlled and those who want to be in control. The earth is a mighty big place and there is so much to take hold of. Most fumble under the eye of such responsibility, flounder under such stress, and whimper when things look grim. A call has been made to the one who can withstand all the pressures and rise above the rest. Civilization is looking for a leader, a great man or woman who will lead them into a land of prosperity, power, and contentment. Are you game enough to respond to that call? Da Graphics: I was very impressed by the digital video sequences at the beginning of the game and by the significant landmarks throughout the single player game. The concepts are baffling and the animation is equally as impressive. Several resolution modes are supported in Call to Power. From 800 x 600 all the way up to 1280 x 960. Unfortunately I found when the resolution was finer the viewable window also shrunk in size. If you play the game in 8x6 then the window will take up the entire monitor screen. But if you choose to up the resolution then you are left with unused parts of the screen – not cool. I had to do a lot of resizing with my monitor to get the image to stretch to fit properly. Call to Power is not graphically intense like many of the thriving games on the market – but this is because it belongs in a different category. It is a game of survival, diplomacy, and leadership. It is a lot like the Civilization series made by Microprose. People do not play this game for its graphical prowess or lack thereof, rather they play it for the challenge of building an empire that will outlast any other. The view is bird's eye, the cities, units, and other indicators are not very detailed. They lack a sharpness and crisp look. There is no such thing as size proportion in this title; all of the units regardless of what they may be are roughly the same dimensions. On the other hand, the background detail is rather intense. The ocean, beaches, plains, underbrush, etc are all well done The interface is fairly simple to use and it is laid out very well. It will take some time to recognize what all the symbols stand for, but once figured out navigation is a breeze. Da Sound: The soundtrack for Call to Power is a masterpiece in itself. The collection of tracks that accompany you on your adventure are perfect. There is a great mix of peaceful and war-like music. The game is also quite rich in sound effects. There are sounds for absolutely everything including: popup menus, unit completion, unit movements, and battle cries/effects— there is no end to the depth. The sound requirements are fairly intense and I can see why. You will not be disappointed with the audio component of this game. The sound is fully customizable wherein you can turn off any function that you want. Da Gameplay: Call to Power II is a turn-based game of strategy. You are given the challenge of leading civilization to prosperity. You start at the beginning, somewhere around 4000 BC. Your goal is to be a successful leader of a successful people. There are numerous ways this can be achieved. You may rule with the sword and force all the people of the world into submission, or you may rule diplomatically and convince all others to join your people. Lastly you may gain victory through scientific achievement. If you possess the greatest science capability then you have the upper hand on the rest of the world. You build and manage your cities that are placed throughout the map. You must make sure that your people are eating well, not being over-worked, that they are well paid, and that taxes are not too high—overall the people must be happy. After all what is power, when no one listens? There are several nations that you can choose, but the choice is merely cosmetic. There are no penalties or bonuses for any particular nation. An element of reality that would have been nice would be for the Vikings have an advantage in shipbuilding and exploration, and the Americans to have advances in weapon technology. Just a thought. Your people are constantly researching new technologies, governments and beliefs. As you progress through the ages you will have the opportunity to change to different governments, build great wonders of the world, and implement any strategies that you see fit. As you move through the five distinct eras: Ancient, Renaissance, Modern, Genetic, and Diamond, the units available to you will change depending on what is going on around you. You must be aware of your neighbors and the scientific advances that they make as well as what their opinion of you is. Unless of course you are just going to invade and take over, then it doesn't really matter what they think does it? For some it is the will of the sword, for others the parchment, and still others it is the vial of mysterious liquid. You decide what kind of ruler you will be, but be aware that your choices will affect the entire world. Da Multiplayer Action: The multiplayer action is the same as the single player game. Instead of playing computer AI you get to take on your friends, or even complete strangers. The game is limited to having four play at a time. You may set up games through a network, TCP/IP, and serial networks. Da Conclusion: Call to Power II is not for everyone. The game is not action packed, there are no fast action gunfights and no exploring creepy dungeons. The whole of the game is empire building, management and diplomatic action. The average game takes a very long time, and even still you are not likely to come out on top. Everything improves slowly, and so those who do not possess patience should find another outlet. Only the most patient and capable of leaders will emerge as the supreme ruler of the planet. Nevertheless the Joystick is up. Graphics: 7 Sound: 8.5 Gameplay: 7.5 Tilt: 7 Total: 7.5 out of 10 joysticks Call to Power II was reviewed by Da Gameboyz contributor Christopher Dawes on his; Celeron 400 128MB RAM Windows 95 20 GIG hard drive Diamond Monster 3D sound card Voodoo3 2000 16MB video card w/ Direct x 7.1 16x CD-ROM 100% Microsoft compatible mouse