KingdomGame

I've recently picked up an iPhone and as with any new gadget I was eager to find out what games were available for my shiny new device. Fortunately I came across Kingdom Game and I've been putting it through its paces over the last week.

Kingdom Game is an online real time resource management game based on one of several worlds (servers) which are also populated with many other kingdoms. The aim of the game is simply to become the number one kingdom in the known world by increasing its net worth through buildings and population.

Peasants are the bread and butter of your kingdom; they not only provide an income from taxation but can also be trained to become one of several different military units or alternatively a specialist unit such as spies, diplomats or priests. To expand your population you'll need to build housing and provide an ample supply of food from farms but also ensure that you have enough raw materials from lumber mills and stone quarries in order to satisfy any building requirements.

A kingdom won't last long if it's not well defended and attacking is actively encouraged as eventually a kingdom will run out of free land and expansion can only be achieved by capturing land from opponents. A variety of specialist buildings are available to create your army, including barracks to train pikemen and foot soldiers; archery ranges for archers and crossbow units, and finally stables for light / heavy cavalry, and knights, the strongest unit in the game. Trained units are recruited from you base peasant population and don't come for free. Each unit type costs a certain amount to train, have varying attack and defense values, and an on-going maintenance cost in both gold and food while they're still alive.

A few other specialist units are also available should you wish. Spies can be sent to infiltrate enemy kingdoms to get reports on an opponents tactical strength, diplomats used to declare war, ask for peace, or to form alliances. And finally priests can pray for divine intervention to influence elements like food, gold, lumber or stone production.

As with all resource management games its a balancing act as you try to produce enough of the raw materials you need to expand whilst making sure your population is well fed and generating enough income to maintain an army. Of course this could all be a fairly shallow experience if you were just playing against an AI, but knowing that you're pitting your wits against fellow human opponents is, as always with multiplayer games, a huge boon.

Up until this point I've not mentioned the look of the game. Well, the reason being that this isn't meant to be a graphic intensive game. I'd assume this is by design to allow a speedy and minimal data stream to the iPhone, however the various informational screens on offer are all well presented, easy to read and understand, and serve there purpose well. If you’re a graphics whore then look elsewhere as that isn't what Kingdom Game is about. It's about statistical analysis and micro management while on the go. It reminds me of the old play-by-mail games but brought bang up-to date using modern technology to provide real-time feedback.

Overall this is an entertaining and addictive game which allows you to invest as little or as much time as you want and still reap rewards from your little empire. Over the last few days I've often found myself checking the status of my kingdom first thing in the morning as I wake up and last thing at night before entering the land of nod, a testament to its compulsive nature. Kingdom won't be to everyone's taste but if you're after a good resource management game for the iPhone, or even to play through any web browser, then this is certainly worth checking out.

In the classical multi-user online strategy game pedigree, Kingdom Game has a vast number of players struggling to achieve supremacy. This web game is playable on anything bar the kitchen sink, I regularly login on Mac, PC and iPhone to build up my Kingdoms strength.

A choice of worlds with various game parameters adds to the variety whilst the upcoming inter-world wars will add a new and dramatic factor to this already addictive gameplay.

If you liked Planetarion and its many clones you will love this, join us and enjoy. Well actually I need more land so I look forward to attacking you!

This game is addictive and I love it. I find myself checking out the forums and attacking other kingdoms all the time. My wife is going to kill me..

I love this game. It is so addictive and I find myself on here all the time. this is an excellent game Paul. Thanks

Phenomenal game! If you are new you should join W9, it is just starting up and will be great to learn on. This game is like the old classics SimCity and Empire only BETTER, you play against thousands of people, build alliances, communicate strategy and tactics with each-other and then battle. I have found that many age groups play, I thought I was one of the oldest at 23, but there are plenty older and younger. Although it is addicting it doesn't take up too much extra time since it is spread throughout the day... you could even play at work ;-)

I have been playing pretty much since its inception and I haven't left it alone since. Have a go!