Total War fanatics and historians may well have a nerdy laughing fit over this, because Grand Ages: Rome is set in the 77BC to 30BC era – yet clearly features units from the second century BC and beyond! Moreover, the armour they wear – and get a load of this – is actually plate and not chain mail! What a blooper!

But seriously, shut up. If you want this kind of historical accuracy, then there are plenty of Grand Strategies available that will hold up to your anal level of scrutiny. Haemimont Games might have slashed the spending in the research department, but it’s spread the budget where it really matters.

Grand Ages: Rome is a canny hybrid of Roman city management and real-time strategy. Comprised of 40 missions in a non-linear campaign that sees you take control of one of five powerful families in ancient Rome, you follow a standard RTS objective system, fulfilling prescribed goals and secondary missions until the ultimate map objective has been completed. To ease you into to the game, this starts with building homes for your plebeian workers, logging camps and brickworks for resources, pig farms and fields for food as well as other structures, such as aqueducts that provide the basic needs for your people. As well as balancing your economy, later missions invite you to attack other settlements with the military units you’ve created and repel enemy invasions.

It’s a big, polished and fulfilling game and we were impressed by the slick HUD and the right-click radial construction menu, which facilitates a sophisticated economic system. And there’s plenty of replay value with four-player multiplayer to boot.