WARHAMMER: SHADOW OF THE HORNED RAT *********************************** Published by Mindscape Reviewed by Richard Batey on a Pentium 166 NOTE: This is a Window 95 game. 1 Introduction -------------- This is a bit of a twist, I am reviewing a game and I haven't been asked to do so! The reason is this is one hell of a game and deserves to be brought to the attention of as many people as possible. I don't know if you are familiar with the Games Workshop table top war game 'Warhammer' in which you pitch two model armies of Orcs, Elves, Dwarfs, Humans, Skaven, Goblins and other nasty horrible monsters against each other but the game is very popular all over the world. Fans collect the models, paint them (and very nice they can look as well) and set their army against all-comers. I have not played the game myself but I have played the role-playing game 'Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay' which I thoroughly enjoyed. I must confess that fantasy is my favourite kind of fiction, nothing beats Tolkien or Eddings in my opinion. Let us find out a little about the world that Warhammer is set in. 2 Background ------------ Warhammer is set in 'The Old World' in and around the part that is known as The Empire which is roughly equivalent to Europe in about the 16th or 17th century. Gunpowder has just been invented and primitive, unreliable firearms are available if very rare. The continent of Lustia (South America) has just been discovered giving rise to rich pickings for those people brave enough to venture there. The arrogant High Elves rule the seas and woe betide those people caught on the open seas by them. Dwarves still live in the mountains (forever at war with their great enemies the Orcs) and the Wood Elves live in the great forest of Loren. In this world the power of magic is still to be felt. The only problem is that all magic stems from the dark corrupting presence of Chaos. This corrupts and fouls all that is good, it mutates and twists creatures into horrible monstrosities, it is not nice. Therefore, just using magic spreads this foul disease even if you are using magic for only the best of purposes. The power of chaos is at its most potent in the North, in the Realm of Chaos where who knows what is living and breeding. It is not a place any sane person would go even for all the gold in the world. The Empire is forever under attack by the agents of chaos. the Orcs, Skaven, Goblins, Beastmen, Trolls, Ogres, Dragons etc. It is in this dangerous world that we follow the story of Commander Morgan Bernhardt and his brave Grudgebringer Cavalry and Infantry. The story of Commander Bernhardt is destined to be written into the history books (only if you complete the game mind!), the tale of Shadow Of The Horned Rat. Morgan Bernhardt was born the eldest son of a rich and influential merchant. As is the tradition, the eldest son of the wealthy is sent to Officer Academy to learn the art, skills and craft of military leadership and strategy. Morgan soon gained the reputation of being a gifted student coming top of every class he could be bothered to attend. It was his indiscipline that finally got him thrown out of the academy. By that time his lust for battle, glory and honour drove him onwards and the chance for all that finally came his way when he met Gunther Schepke, a leader of a small mercenary group. They fast became friends and Gunther asked Morgan to lead him and his men. Morgan agreed and very soon they had a small mercenary army, sixteen infantry and twelve cavalry. Morgan also came to the attention of a wizard who deemed him worthy of wielding the great sword Grudgebringer. The sword has the magic ability to shoot a flame of fire on command, a potent and powerful weapon indeed. Morgan was so impressed with the sword he named his mercenary group after it; thus they become the Grudgebringer Calvary and Infantry and they gained the reputation of being very professional soldiers who always delivered. So the story begins... 3 The Game ---------- It is a real-time strategy war game. By that I mean that it is not turn based, you can't make your move then have a think while you wait for your opponent to move. Nope, once the battle commences you have to manage your troops as best you can. I think the best way to describe the game is to take you through the beginning though it is a pity you can't see the wonderful graphics for yourself. The game starts with a dramatic scene when a wizard in his tower is murdered by a couple of Skaven and a green warpstone is taken. This is a powerful tool for corruption in the wrong hands, which it has just fallen into in. You just know this is going to cause you some trouble later on in the game! There are many such cut-scenes that show you what is going on behind the scenes and leads you on towards the final showdown. You find yourself in your caravan talking to your loyal paymaster Dietrich Von Schweitzer who looks after your money, finds work for you and contacts other troops for you to employ if you so wish. In the caravan you can change the game options, save the game (five saves possible), see how much gold you have, check on your troops' statistics, consult the battle bestiary where details on all the different creatures you have come across can be seen, the book of magic which explains how various magic items (such as your sword Grudgebringer) works and what they do and any spells your wizards may know. Finally, you can also see if there is any work being offered to you and how much they are willing to pay. Let us have a look and see what is available. Just the one job I am afraid, to protect the village of Schnappleburg which has been raided by a roving band of Goblins. The pay is not very good, just 200 gold if we are successful but since it is the only thing available at the moment you do not have any other choice but to accept. When you are choosing a mission a map of the Empire appears on the screen showing where the action is taking place. Having accepted you then have to choose which troops are to go on the mission, at this moment in time you only have your cavalry and infantry so it is best to take them both. You have to pay each of the troops a mission fee but even if you do not select them for that mission you still have to pay them a retainer or they will go away to find work for themselves and that will be the last you see of them. Having selected your troops you need to put them in marching order as this can be important if you are ambushed on the way. Having done that you see the map of the old world again with a trail moving from where you are currently, going towards your destination, the village of Schnappleburg. A quick note about your troops now. Every troop is rated in nine areas which are: Movement M How fast they can move Weapons Skill WS How good they are with their weapons Ballistic Skill BS Can they use bows and if so how well Strength S How hard they can hit Toughness T How difficult it is to hurt them Wounds W How many wounds can they sustain before dying Initiative I The highest initiative get to inflict the first blows Attacks A How many attacks they can unleash each round Leadership Ld The better the leadership the less likely they are to rout if things are going wrong They are then given a rating of either recruits, regular troops, crack troops, veteran troops or elite troops. Your men start as regular troops but can increase their stats by gaining experience points, and they do that by killing the nasty ones. The more baddies they kill the tougher they will become. Now back to the game. Having arrived at Schnappleburg you have time to deploy your forces so the best thing to do is to have your infantry face the Goblin raiding party. It is best to keep the cavalry in reserve as an additional group of Goblins riding Wolves will launch a sneak attack. Your cavalry is the best unit to deal with them. You are all set to start your first battle... 4 Graphics ---------- I feel now is the time to discuss the graphics. The screen is divided into seven areas once the battle commences and they are as follows: Camera Buttons You can zoom in and out of the battle as well as turning the camera to see in other directions. Compass Shows in what direction you are facing. Text Window Anything said (of which more later) will be written here for you to see. Characteristics Panel Shows the stats for your currently selected troop. Control Panel It is from this that you tell your units to move, attack, retreat, charge, fire missiles, cast spells, turn on their artificial intelligence, save or load the game, quit etc. Map Window Shows the overall map of the battleground. Battle Window Shows the individual troops and any battle that they currently engaged in. Every action that you undertake is entirely controlled by the mouse. The only time you will need to use the keyboard is when you type in the name you wish to save any games under. Once you have practised a bit you will find the controls to be so easy to use you will be able to do it in your sleep. The map window shows the battleground with all the troops represented by their banner. All troops on your side and on the enemies carry a banner and if you click on said banner the camera goes to that location allowing you to see the action taking place. Using this means it is a doddle to move around the battle with just a click of the mouse. The only problem is that the window can get very crowded later on in the game when there are a lot of troops engaged in battle. The battle window is where the graphics really shine. Seeing your troops hacking a Rat Ogre, your cavalry galloping into battle, your wizard casting a hunting spear of flame, arrows whistling towards their target, crows circling the battlefield, a dragon's head breathing fire etc. etc. It is a sight to see I can tell you. It is so easy to get caught up watching the battle unfold that you forget you are supposed to direct your troops. In the beginning you may get away with letting your troops have their own way (they have some degree of artificial intelligence) but later on you will need cunning, strategy and a certain amount of luck to be victorious. It is, needless to say, advisable to save the game before commencing battle. I wish you could see the graphics in motion but alas this is not possible. Back to the game...click on your infantry and order them to attack the Goblins. Wait for the wolf-riding Goblins to appear then order your cavalry to attack them from the side. If all is well they both should have no trouble defeating the Gobs. 200 gold nicely earned and if you search the battlefield after the battle you will discover the Sword Of Might which will increase the strength of its wielder. Throughout the game you will find magical items such as The Dread Banner which instils fear into your opponents, the Shield Of Ptolos which protects from missile attack, and many others. They help make life a little easier and you will really need them later on in the game. 5 Sound ------- Usually I turn off any music offered in games, much preferring my own choice, but this game is an exception. Sound is used very, very well. First of all the music is suitably medieval and is in the background so as not to be too much of a distraction. You can turn it off if that is your wish to do so but I feel it puts you in the right frame of mind. The voices are also very well done. During the game you hear shouts of 'enemy sighted', 'charge', 'retreat' (hope you never hear that!), 'help us', 'get em lads', and various other cries from your troops. The Orcs bellow and shout 'diee humaaan', the Goblins screech, the Ogres let rip with deafening roars which causes panic in your troops, horses gallop, screams of pain can be heard all around the battlefield etc. etc. All in all, excellent. I had one impression confirmed by the game, Dwarfs are definitely from Yorkshire! They have the same gruff accent as my friends from the North. It is nice to hear British voices in a game for a change, and well 'acted' they are indeed. On the CD you will find three pieces of music which are unfortunately not titled but they are splendid, especially the first one. In fact, it is one of my pieces of music of the year so far. It really is that good. Again, it is a stirring, powerful piece of music, just the kind of music to raise the spirits and charge you full of energy. SUPERB. I assume it was written and performed by the persons credited with the games music/sound effects, namely Mark 'Skippy' Knight and Anthony Bowyer Lowe. Well done gentlemen. 6 Conclusions ------------- Looking back at this review I seem to have rambled on a bit with little rhyme or reason. I don't care. Do you think I like this game? YES. Being a fan of Warhammer Roleplay I knew about the game world anyway but I think this game brings it all home. It is a challenge, it looks and sounds good, it plays wonderfully, it has a story you will really enjoy and you can't wait to see how it develops, in short it has a hook and it won't let you go. One of the best games I have ever played and it should certainly be in anybody's top ten. Now, I wonder what I should recommend that you do? 7 Recommendation ---------------- Gee, maybe it is me but I think you really ought to buy this game. Let me check to see what they thought of the game in PC Gamer: "This isn't for the faint-hearted, or those who want instant gratification, but with a little perseverance you'll find yourself so hooked that you won't be able to stop playing." Nope, it is not just me. BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT. - o -