Review - the Battle for Wesnoth

The Battle For Wesnoth is a turn-based strategy game. It takes place in a fantasy-themed world where you can play many different scenarios, each with multiple campaigns. In each scenario there is a commander who 'recruits' other characters such as bowmen, spearmen, and peasants (AKA 'cannon fodder'). Alternatively, you can play in multiplayer mode on a LAN or by connecting to an online server, where hosts often use customized player-created scenarios.

Wesnoth is similar to an RPG in many aspects. Each different class of character gains experience for each attack and each kill that they make. For several of the characters, you can select the class you would like them to become. For example, a spearman can level up to swordsman, pikeman, or a javlineer each with it's advantages.

From the moment you open Wesnoth, you are greeted by rich visuals. The artwork in this game is excellent. However, during gameplay, some players may be turned off at first glance by the fact that characters are not the 3d models we have become so used to in this modern day of gaming. In my opinion, this doesn't really take away from the game, as the 2d art is very nicely done.

When characters in Wesnoth attack, the characteristics of each is taken into account and the computer calculates damage done with each blow. Depending on the character used, a magic, melee, or ranged attack is implemented. Each character also hits for different values and a different number of blows. The 'strength' of the attack is also dependent on the level of the character. The AI is somewhat lottery based, causing characters to miss on occasion. Some critics of the game cite this as a major drawback, although it is possible to modify the game to not use this lottery system.

One advantage of Wesnoth is the ability to customize many aspects of the game. There are many modification patches available online to change the art or 'theme' of the game. The names of generated characters are random, but can be edited to suit you at any time. If you get tired of playing the many scenarios in the game, it comes along with an editor to create your own!

Don't feel like playing alone? Want to test your skills against others? Wesnoth has a multiplayer feature which allows you to play online by joining the official server for a game, host your own, or play in a LAN environment. Multiplayer games can also be played in a "hotseat" fashion, where you and your friends all use the same computer to take your turns. If you don't want to test your skills online yet, and don't have any friends around for a hotseat game, you can always play a two-player scenario with the AI.

The Battle for Wesnoth is a completely free game issued under a GNU GPL or General Public License. It is an open source game which has been contributed to by numerous programmers, testers, and artists. It is available for download for Windows, MacOSX, and Linux, and has translations for hundreds of languages. That means you can play anyone from virtually anywhere in the world.

Wesnoth is a beautifully designed full-featured game. In my opinion, it just doesn't get any better than this for a strategy game of this type. If you don't keep reminding yourself, I guarantee you'll forget that this game cost you absolutely nothing. It can be downloaded for free at www.wesnoth.org.