I installed Western Civilization Software’s Crown of Glory(published by Matrix Games) yesterday afternoon, and, as usual, jumped in without reading the manual. I was impressed that I could figure out as much as I could without perusing the 90+ page PDF document, but there is a lot that is pretty confusing even after looking it over.

The economic system could use a better interface (and maybe a couple of overview screens) and some rollover tool-tips. The lack of the latter is a constant complaint of mine, especially when they are so easy to do in this day and age.

The game itself is kind of like Europa Universalis: Total War. Everything is about the conflict and the battles. Unlike EU, diplomacy depends on beating people up and showing what a big dog you are, and forcing elaborate treaties on defeated opponents is part of the fun. Like the Total War series, the grand strategy game is pretty basic but it tends towards the Byzantine more through interface issues than through the things that need doing.

I hope to play some PBEM games this coming week. Stay tuned for further impressions and, if I find a publisher, an official review.