Centurion: Defender of Rome

Centurion: Defender of Rome is a turn-based strategy video game with real-time battle sequences, designed by Kellyn Beck and Bits of Magic and published by Electronic Arts. Originally released for MS-DOS in 1990, the game was later ported to the Amiga and the Sega Genesis in 1991. Centurion shares much of the concept and feel with Beck's earlier game Defender of the Crown (1987).

Plot
The game begins in Ancient Rome in the year 275 BC, placing the player in the sandals of a centurion in the Roman army, at first leading a single legion. The player's ultimate goal is to become a Caesar through a mix of successful military conquests and internal politics of "Bread and Circuses".

Gameplay 
The bulk of the game involve turn-based strategic planning and management on the world map and the real-time battles (with on-demand pauses to give orders to formations) against various enemies of the Roman Empire, such as the Celts, Carthaginians and Parthians. Centurion also featured other "side-show" activities, such as gladiatorial combat (the player's duties involve financing the ludi events), chariot racing in the Circus Maximus, and naval battles. There is also some diplomacy (it is even possible to seduce the queen Cleopatra after forming an alliance with Egypt).

Development
The game's designer, Kellyn Beck, was also the creator of several Cinemaware games and Centurion was similar in look to those games, featuring "cinematic" graphics, animation and sound effects. His inspiration for the game came from watching the films Ben Hur and Spartacus and the game's working title was Caesar. The team Bits of Magic, who co-designed and programmed the game, included Nicky Robinson.

Reception
The PC version of Centurion received 3 out of 5 stars in Dragon. Other magazines, however, usually gave the game better reviews, with scores mostly in the range of 75-90%. Computer Gaming World gave it three-plus stars out of five in 1990. The magazine praised the VGA graphics and audio, and said that as a game as opposed to an accurate historical simulation, Centurion "succeeds admirably ... those who liked those old gladiator movies" would enjoy it. In 1993, the magazine gave the game two-plus stars, describing it as a "graphical tour de force—a historic tour de farce".

Reviews
Consoles Plus (Sep, 1991)
Raze (Aug, 1991)
Amiga Action (Jun, 1991)
CU Amiga (Apr, 1991)
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) (Jul, 1991)
Zero (Jun, 1991)
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (Sep, 1991)
Zero (Aug, 1990)
Amiga Computing (Aug, 1991)
Amiga Format (Jul, 1991)
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (Sep, 1990)
Tilt (Sep, 1991)
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) (Sep, 1991)
Video Games (Sep, 1991)
Amiga Joker (Jun, 1991)
Amiga Power (Jun, 1991)
The Games Machine (Aug, 1990)
Amiga Power (Jul, 1991)

See also 
Annals of Rome
Rome: Pathway to Power

References

External links 

Centurion: Defender of Rome can be played for free in the browser on the Internet Archive

1990 video games
Amiga games
DOS games
Electronic Arts games
FM Towns games
NEC PC-9801 games
Real-time strategy video games
Sega Genesis games
Single-player video games
Turn-based strategy video games
Video games about gladiatorial combat
Video games set in the Roman Empire
Video games developed in the United States