Stronghold 2 review:1 stars (40$ Down the Drain!) - I bought this game only recently, and what do you know, it doesn't work! I meet all of the requirements and have gone to every possible measure to make it work, but it it just a piece of junk! If their software is terrible enough that it doesn't even work, I don't even want to know what the game is like!2 stars ( a disapointing sequel) - when i bought stronghold 2, i was extremly excited. i own stronghold and the crusader expansion pack, and in my opionione stronghold was one of the best games ever. If you like ordinary RTS games, stronghold isn't for you. in order to get a swordsmen, for example, you need to: have a baracks for him to be made at, you a blacksmith to make the sword, you need wood and gold to build the blacksmith, you need a wood cutrer's hut to make the wood and you need a peasant to work at the wood cutter's hut. Than, the blacksmith need iron to make the sword, so you need an iron worker. in order to have extra peaseants, you need a hovel to house them, wood to build the hovel, and food to feed them. you need to sell excess goods to get gold, so need all the indusrtries to make the goods.

As you can see, there are huge production chanes in this game.

overall, i didn't really like stronghold 2. here is why

pros:
They have both a peace and a war campaigne, so you can play wichever is more to your taste.

they have 3d graphics, which some people might argue is better.
(more on that later)

more units and building, wich add another layer.

not to expensive

cons:
the 3d graphics don't add anything to the game. yes, they are pretty, but they just slow the game down. i had to buy a new graphics card for this game, and it still ran incredibly slow.

every time you start the the game, the intitall loading time is almost always upward of six and a half minuets.

on the peace campaigne, you can't load a particular misson, you can only load a saved game. For example, if you just lost mission 7,and you think it was because of something in mission 6, unless you save at the beginning of each mission, you can't go back. and it you didn't save before you died, youa will have to go all the way to you last save point.

once you get to the fourth of fitth missions, they become imposible. missoin 4 of the war campaigne is impossible, but missio three is a sinch.

also, the game just isn't fun. most of the the time you are just sitting and waiting for the woodcutter to chop the wood so you can build wahatever building you need for the goal.

over all, if you are thinking of buying stronghold 2,don't. buy the originall stronghold, and if you have that, the crusader expansion pack.1 stars (blek) - wow, i just bought this game from best buy on a whim. i loved the first stronghold, and strong hold crusader. i just dont know how they went so wrong on this one. it is completely user-unfriendly. the game itself takes somewhere between 5-10 minuits just to load, and the game play itself, not so great. gone is the custom game plays where you can just play a random map with enemies. build your own city, etc. the game-play is slow, and hard to follow. the units are frail, and easily killed. and the fortress's just arent as fun to create. in other words, save your fourty bucks, and buy the cheaper, more fun first versions. STRONG HOLD 2 BLOWS THE BIG ONE!
Stronghold 2 Features:
Computer Games
Action
Adventure
Military (Tactics)
Strategy (Strategic)
Historical (historic) Recreation (Recreations)
Military (Wargames
DVD-Video
Construction set
Fight daring duels through castle keeps, over walls and inside great towers
All new troop units and seige equipment and now formations allow epic warfare
Look inside buildings and see medieval life unfold
Hold lavish feasts and spectacular jousting tournaments and have honour bestowed upon you

Stronghold 2 is the CD-ROM version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 39.99USD.