General Information:
- Name of Scenario : Of Celts and Iberians
- Final Score : 25.5/30
(Breakdown: 0-10 terrible /11-15 Average/ 16-20 Good/ 21-25 Excellent/ 26+Best possible) - Type of Scenario :Historical
- Name of Author: Jesús Balsinde
- Name of Reviewer: Alcibiaties of Athenae
Summary of Scenario:
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An excellent look at the Roman and Carthaginians interaction in the Iberian peninsular, and including the Iberians themselves as playable tribes. |
Playability – Section Sub-total: 6
Were you able to finish in a reasonable amount of turns? (Score: 1 )Yes
Did the scenario avoid being tedious or repetitive? (Score: 1 ) Yes
Did the scenario capture the essence of what it was portraying? (Score: 1)Yes
Were you impressed with the overall sound effects? (Score: 1)Yes
Was the choice of and interaction between races appropriate? (Score: 1 )Yes
Did you enjoy playing the scenario? (Score: 1 )Yes
| This scenario is really two scenarios in one, as the choice of sides alters the game radically. If you select the Romans or the Carthaginians, tech research is unimportant, and conquest is your only goal. If You select one the native tribes, then you must fight powerful and technologically superior enemies, as well as other Iberian tribes, so the game is very diverse. |
Units – Section Sub-total: 4
Were the majority of units changed from the default Civ2 units? (Score: 1 )Yes
Was the scenario free of ‘unbalanced’ units? (Score: 1 )Yes
Were there innovative combinations of special unit abilities? (Score: 1 )Yes
Any other unit related problems (like shield placement)? (Score: 1 )No
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The units for this scenario are mostly new, and are very beautiful, a real strength of this designer. The roman Cohorts and cavalry is superb, as are the native units, and the Carthaginians as well, are extremely well done. This is one of the finest collections of Roman era units I have yet seen. Each power has tribe specific units, and all in all, they look splendid. |
Research – – Section Sub-total: 5
Was the progression of advance to advance done properly? (Score: 1 )Yes
Were advances properly related to new units and obsolescence? (Score: 1 )Yes
Was the tech tree of a high level of complexity? (Score: 1 )Yes
Were non-event messages amended to suit the scenario ? (Score: 1) Yes
Was the civilopedia properly updated? (Score: 1 )Yes
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The research for this effort was excellent, considering this is a very difficult period to obtain hard facts on. The Roman units look and function as Roman forces should, and the natives can fight back, just as in the historical campaign. The story accurately follows the Roman conquest of Iberia, including their meeting with their great rivals, the Carthaginians, as well as the struggle against the native population. |
Map & Terrain – Section Sub-total: 6
Were you impressed by the Map in general? (Score: 1 )Yes
Was terrain properly adjusted to fit the scenario? (Score: 1 )Yes
Was attention given to geography and historical details? (Score: 1 )Yes
Were you happy with the city, fortress, terrain improvement graphics? (Score: 1)Yes
Were city names and the placement of cities correct? (Score: 1 )Yes
Were there innovations used in relation to Terrain? (Score: 1 )Yes
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The map area includes all of Iberia, and a small portion of Gaul, but this area is impassible due to innovative use of hidden blocking terrain. Allied terrain hinders the Roman advance in many areas, and |
Care & Details – Section Sub-total: 5
Did you find the documentation adequate? (Score: 1 )Yes
Was the events file sufficient for the needs of the scenario? (Score:1 )Yes
Were you happy with the improvement and wonder icons? (Score: 1 )Yes
Did you find any very apparent errors? (Score: 1 )No
Do you think a lot of effort was put into doing this scenario? (Score: 1)Yes
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The wonders are fewer in this scenario, but they are tailored to fit the situation. The readme is extensive, and includes an historical time line, as well as recommendations for choice of tribe, and possible course of action. The enormous effort put into this scenario is apparent in the readme. The whole situation was carefully crafted to fit the situation it portrays, and no errors along historical lines have yet been detected. |
Originality and Technical Proficiency – Section Sub-total: 4.5
Were there any sounds you had never come across before? (Score: 1 )Yes
Did you discover many units not used in any other scenarios? (Score:1)Yes
Is the theme of the scenario completely novel? (Score: 1 )Yes
Were complex events used to carry the story line or enhance the AI? (Score: 0.5 )Some
Did the author deal with all areas which could be modified? (Score: 1 )Yes
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Again, this author has done a fantastic job with an unbelievably complex subject, yet this scenario works, and works extremely well. The great care that went into it is evident in every phase of the scenario, from the look and feel of the graphics, to the Pedia, and in the actual game play. This author has a superb grasp of the Civ-2 game engine and what can be done with it. |
Overall Assessment and Other Points of Interest:
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This scenario author is well known, and this scenario represents his finest work. It is a dynamic, interesting, and totally enthralling scenario, and gets the highest endorsement possible. I cannot recommend it enough. |
Credit: Screenshots on this page were taken by Jesús Balsinde.