Not so my admiration for Rick Rhodes and Danny Pelfrey's haunting score. My affection for the dated sprites, gilded GUI, and sepia unit sketches possibly has an element of nostalgia in it. We've grown accustomed to animations and changeable perspectives in our hex fare – after a few hours with FG you may find yourself wondering whether the old way wasn't the best way. Two-dimensional and motionless except when expiring, the pixellated wizards, warriors, beasts, and 'mechs' that stud battlefields manage to radiate character without complicating and obscuring that all-important tactical picture. I love, for instance, the way FG's on-screen buttons imitate precious stones set in gleaming gold. There's a charm to FG's sprites, GUI, and incidental art, and a sumptuousness to its soundtrack I reckon Owned by Gravity will struggle to emulate. Judging by the three vlogs released thus far, while Fantasy General II: Unnecessary Subtitle may well prove a friendlier, more legible wargame, it might not please the eye and ear quite as deftly as its predecessor. Magic, heroes, and 'wounds' disrupt familiar PG combat patterns beautifully and regular injections of new exotic troop types make liberating Aer much more interesting than blitzkrieging Europe. Not having played it for over a decade, I'd forgotten just how fabulous the art and music was, and just how rich and appealing the 180-strong unit roster. The third instalment of the acclaimed '5-Star General' series, Fantasy General was no lacklustre Panzer General re-skin. While Fantasy General has its own difficulty and scrutability issues, I can't say I ever put it aside with a puzzled frown on my face or dozed off in the middle of a turn. Factor in glorious sunshine, post-hike weariness, and a surfeit of cakes and ale and you'll understand why my bookmark only advanced 85 pages during my week away. Kenyon definitely knows his onions (his onions being 17th Century England) his descriptions of the myriad squabbles between king and parliament that led to civil war are pretty dense and difficult to follow, even for someone who knows his ship money from his tonnage and poundage. This year I picked/packed a better holiday game than holiday book.
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