Majesty (Mac) - Macintosh

You don't control characters and events in Majesty so much as you influence them. Players used to more conventional strategy games like Starcraft will be a little perplexed when they click on a hero, order him to move somewhere, and watch as their commands are ignored. Characters in Majesty have unique agendas and personalities and operate on their own in accordance with those characteristics. If you want the avaricious Greedheart Thistlebottom to slay that large green beast that's approaching the village, you'll have to put a price on the monster's head. When the job is finished you can watch the hero squander his reward on warm beer, cheap women, and newer weapons. The entire game plays out like a fantasy soap opera, with you as the director and your minions as the actors (with a lot of room for improvisation).

The game's graphics and sound effects aren't too spectacular, but frankly they don't need to be. Majesty's unique and addictive gameplay overcomes any multimedia gripes we can level at it. Our bet is that fans of games like SimCity--as well as open-minded strategy aficionados--will agree. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros: Unique gameplay style Watching recruits become heroes and cowards is a treat Many missions and scenarios for hours of play Cons: Lack of direct control may not appeal to everyone

Amazon.com Product Description
Majesty is a unique sim, putting you in the crushed velvet hot seat of your own kingdom. With an epic quest before you, you make the decisions of where to build your settlement's guilds and temples. From these decisions, you recruit a varied cast of larger-than-life heroes. Each one has a mind of his own and must be enticed to meet your goals, via rewards you offer and spells you cast. Meanwhile, you must make sure that your treasury stays flush with cash to support these and other outlays necessary to maintain a thriving medieval town. The fact that you are being barraged by attacks from mythical beasts and fantastic creatures doesn't make your job any easier.

Poor choices will leave your kingdom in ruin, but a wise ruler will complete his quests, fill his coffers, and create a kingdom that will be remembered in song and story.