Rome: Pathway to Power (a.k.a. Rome: A.D. 92)
(1992 Electronic Arts)


Millennium's second isometric adventure game is a 
humorous romp in the ancient Roman Empire. Rome: 
Pathway to Power is a vast improvement over Adventures 
of Robin Hood in every respect. The tiny characters 
are still there, but they are much easier to see thanks 
to VGA graphics and smoother animations. The premise: 
you are an ambitious Roman slave who is trying to free 
yourself and get away from the provincial town of 
Herculaneum to seek fortunes in Rome. Gameplay is a 
fun mix of action, adventure, and even strategy. Most 
puzzles require astute observation of people's daily l
ives and good timing (a sequence in which you must wait 
to steal a citizen's toga is a case in point). The 
cities are teeming with priests, citizens, officials, 
warriors, and other kinds of people, all of whom have 
things to say when you stop them on the street. The 
game is divided into self-contained episodes, each of 
which must be solved in order. 

The awkward interface of Adventures of Robin Hood has 
been vastly improved in this game, and is much more 
playable. It is still not intuitive, however, as some 
actions require multiple step (you must click on DO 
icon first to PAY, for instance), but it's adequate 
for the game. Each episode introduces not only new 
locations and characters, but also gameplay twists. 
In the middle of the game, for example, you'll have 
a chance to command a Roman army, and the standard 
action icons are replaced with war orders such as 
ADVANCE, etc. These war episodes are quite frustrating, 
as the enemies advance very quickly and you have 
little time to plan your strategy. Still, surprises 
such as these keep the game fresh and always interesting. 
With charming cartoon-style graphics, fun plot, and 
great mix of different styles of gameplay, Rome: Pathway 
to Power is one underdog no one should miss. Recommended!