Introduction
CDV invited me over to see a preview build of the new game from GSC Game World, American Conquest. When I originally arrived, I wasn't exactly sure what I'd see, as although I knew the game was an RTS game, I didn't know much else about it.

Once I sat down and the presentation began, it quickly became obvious that this was a game that was going to capture my attention for quite some time, for all the right reasons.

American Conquest is an RTS game in pretty much the same mould as most other similar games, but it is in the details that the game really stands out from the rest. Developed by the same company behind the seminal Cossacks (a game even I've played from time to time), American Conquest takes the period in history between Christopher Columbus' discovery of the new world, and the American War of Independence some three hundred years later. The aim of the single player game is, like most RTS games, to complete each scenario as presented, however each scenario is designed to be as close to history as possible, and each scenario comes with a mini history lesson. It was gratifying to see that the very first scenario - based around the initial landing of colonists from the Santa Maria - was introduced with a brief history lesson, which, for a change, did not perpetuate the common myth that Christopher Columbus actually discovered America.

While it is recognised that the vast majority of players will just jump into the game without reading through the introductory text, it's still a nice touch.

GSC Game World has spent a lot of time on the graphics engine for this game. It features a full 3D engine, and each vertex can support up to 32 different textures, making this game one of the most beautiful RTS games around. Each of the units is individually animated with a complete range of actions, and each unit has been modeled to be as historically accurate as possible. There are twelve different nations and tribes, each with their own distinctive - and historically accurate - clothing, headwear, weapons and buildings.