Medieval Total War: Viking Invasion

By PETER ELEY

What has been the most significant year in Britain's history? Some may say 1941, when a handful of brave young men fought off the might of Germany over London's skies in the Battle of Britain.

Others may say 1966, when another handful of brave young men again fought off Germany's might in an epic World Cup final at Wembley, aided by a dodgy goal.

But it could well be argued that Britain's history turned one fateful day over a millennium earlier, in 793AD.

At that time Britain was a centre of culture and learning, epitomised by Lindisfarne Monastery on the Northumbrian coast, where monks and nuns guarded one of the world's greatest medieval libraries and millions of dollars' worth of gold and other treasures.

Then one morning out of the mist a dragon-headed prow appeared, followed by the bellow of a horn. A few hours later, Lindisfarne's inhabitants had been butchered, the monastery burned down and the treasure looted. The Vikings had arrived and they never really left.

Medieval Total War's latest expansion pack lets the player manage this slice of history.

Total War has won numerous awards, including Best Game of All Time from a leading PC magazine.

Its strength is the sheer scale of its battles, stunning graphics and historical accuracy.

Viking Invasion follows in that mould, adding a new map of Europe and Scandinavia for the game's centrepiece large-scale Viking era campaign.

There are eight new factions: the Saxons, Welsh, Mercians, Northumbrians, Scots, Picts, Irish, and of course the Vikings.

The historical nature of the game is fascinating. The Vikings may have been written into history as beer-swilling, bloodthirsty louts, but their home civilisation was highly organized.

One of their strengths was that their basic soldiers came from the class of free farmers and fisherman, rather than serfs and downtrodden peasants from other cultures.

These are the bread-and-butter unit of Viking invasion, while the Berserkers, who whipped themselves into a furious blood lust during battle, and the celibate Jomsviking heroes, are the elite units.

Other factions have some fascinating units, too. Saxons have a fast, lightly armoured cavalry used to cut down fleeing foes, while the Mercians have Sherwood foresters (shades of Robin Hood) who are renowned for their archery skills.

The Irish get dartmen, who are deadly with short, light javelins, while the Welsh get a sort of medieval guerrilla adapted to fighting in the valleys of that country.

* Email Peter Eley