Age of Conquest is a medieval Risk-like turn-based strategy game where you take the reins of a budding empire and struggle against fellow empires for control of the world. FREE game on GOTD!

#32

Hi all, I just got an HTC A given M8 and I am irksome to beat up a compare up google on it but I am getting the flagitiousness a wrong "There was a problem communicating with Google servers. Try again later". I prove two move verification is displeasing, a factory reset, tried sundry unconventional networks, made sure date and but was correct and it will not transmit with google at all. I also tried to sire a strange account on the phone and even if i undertake and produce one with a unspecified drug celebrity like вк мобильная разновидность войти it says that username is taken. It seems to me like the phone just flat d‚mod‚ wont chain to google no problem what I try. Like the problem is in the device routing or something. Any thoughts?

Reply | Comment by PamelaOt – 8 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#31

I was taken back to the Commodore 64 days(circa 1986) playing this game. It is what Colonial Conquest should have been. This game will remain on my computer until the end of days. Forget about your HOGs and Match3s, turn based strategy games like this one are the games with replayability.

Reply | Comment by George – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#30

Tried downloading for a couple hours with a couple different browsers but it didn't download. Dissapointed!

..........................Moderator comment...................................

Hi Gregg, sorry to hear you had problems. Have you had problems downloading before, and, did you check the FAQ's I've linked to in my review?

Reply | Comment by Greg – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#29

Runs fast with 64bit Linux / Wine. Screens appear immediately. For me a small learning curve until I understand the strategy fully. +1 thumbs up vote

..........................Moderator comment...................................

:)

Reply | Comment by Benjamin Casy – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#28

Not a Risk fan but wanted to see what's up. Ok Win 8.1.2 x64 Pro. Fast d/l, quick play, various screen sizes. Did tutorial as Papal State and got butt kicked. Decent set Options & graphics good. Just a bit to basic in style & theme for me. Uninstall folder is easy. Thanks GOTD.

Reply | Comment by beergas – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#27

Very refreshing change from the normal. Age Of Conquest III installed on my windows 8.1 desktop and loaded just fine. I have to say the print is a little small but that in no way compromises the games value, it only becomes a problem because there's so much reading. Check out the downloadable maps and the game's web site - lots more content!

..........................Moderator comment...................................

Hi Mikki, the game also comes with an editor, which probably explains the downloadable content from their site.

Reply | Comment by Mikki – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#26

Regarding Java support in web browsers, Java isn't mentioned as a problem -- the problem is old code.

This article gives a quick summary regarding Chrome -- "Those plugins use a 1990s-era API called NPAPI ("Netscape Plugin API") to extend the browser, and with Chrome 42, that API is now off by default."
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/04/chrome-starts-pushing-java-off-the-web-by-disabling-plugins/

Regarding Java & Internet Explorer, Ed Bott says this: "In a blog post announcing the change, Microsoft cites its most recent Security Intelligence Report, which notes that in 2013 Java exploits represented well over 80 percent of exploit kit-related detections. In all cases, these automated attacks are targeting vulnerabilities for which a fix has already been released, but if the target PC is running an outdated Java version, it's a sitting duck."
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-to-block-outdated-java-versions-in-internet-explorer/

And here's the MSDN article talking about how Internet Explorer is going to start blocking old active x controls.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/08/06/internet-explorer-begins-blocking-out-of-date-activex-controls.aspx

Verizon & Dell just released reports on security related problems, i.e. getting hacked. According to them, most successful exploits targeted server installations etc. that were not up to date, Had Not been updated with security fixes that would have blocked those exploits. Same thing Ed Bott wrote about Internet Explorer & Java.

The big problem apparently isn't Java itself -- it's the people running it that are too lazy to update. And if they don't run Java, the bad guys will just target all the other obsolete, un-patched code on their system(s). ;)

....................................Moderator Comment..................................

Thanks again for your tech explanations and info. :D

Regarding Java support in web browsers, Java isn't mentioned as a problem -- the problem is old code.

This article gives a quick summary regarding Chrome -- "Those plugins use a 1990s-era API called NPAPI ("Netscape Plugin API") to extend the browser, and with Chrome 42, that API is now off by default."
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/04/chrome-starts-pushing-java-off-the-web-by-disabling-plugins/

Regarding Java &amp; Internet Explorer, Ed Bott says this: "In a blog post announcing the change, Microsoft cites its most recent Security Intelligence Report, which notes that in 2013 Java exploits represented well over 80 percent of exploit kit-related detections. In all cases, these automated attacks are targeting vulnerabilities for which a fix has already been released, but if the target PC is running an outdated Java version, it's a sitting duck."
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-to-block-outdated-java-versions-in-internet-explorer/

And here's the MSDN article talking about how Internet Explorer is going to start blocking old active x controls.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/08/06/internet-explorer-begins-blocking-out-of-date-activex-controls.aspx

Verizon &amp; Dell just released reports on security related problems, i.e. getting hacked. According to them, most successful exploits targeted server installations etc. that were not up to date, Had Not been updated with security fixes that would have blocked those exploits. Same thing Ed Bott wrote about Internet Explorer &amp; Java.

The big problem apparently isn't Java itself -- it's the people running it that are too lazy to update. And if they don't run Java, the bad guys will just target all the other obsolete, un-patched code on their system(s). ;)

<blockquote>

....................................Moderator Comment..................................

Thanks again for your tech explanations and info. :D</blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by mike – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#25

I read you whole write up and do like how en-depth it is and the hints for newbies (files I can delete - never sure about this) It has been a while since I played this type of game, enjoyed it but OMG it does waste my time !?! 'o' uuh ooo

................................Moderator Comment...............................

Glad you like it Ginny :)

Reply | Comment by Ginny – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#24

Much, much, much, much better than most of the recent offerings. Definitely one to keep and replay - lots of times.

...............................Moderator comment..........................................

Hi theologian

I agree, probably one of the best games given away here in a long time.

Reply | Comment by theologian – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#23

Win7/64 had no problems dl/installing. Ran the first game/tutorial without problems. Have not tried to save a game and reload, so I don't know if there will be a problem that the other commenter mentioned.

Adore RISK and other wargames, so this will be fun!

The only thing I wish is that the font on the writing/graphics was larger. I have a 21" screen and I had my nose to it to read. Was very glad there WAS a tutorial, so I didn't have to sort through tiny fonts for long because I get migraines at the drop of a hat.

A keeper, for when I have more time to poke through it.

.......................................Moderator comment.........................................

Glad you like it :) Definitely one of the better games given away for years here. We do have some more games from the developer who donated todays game, though not tomorrow.

Both of the games I see in the Admin listings are good quality games.

Looks like we have another high profile distributor on board.

Yeah!!!!!! :)

Reply | Comment by StealthBunny – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#22

Tried to install but 360 internet security will not allow, says trojan virus. Just saying.

..............................Moderator Comment..................................

Hi Norman, it's a false positive. Firstly, if there was an issue, there would have been hundreds of posts commenting on it. The problem lies with the security software that is bundled with the giveaway. The giveaway team were forced into using it a few years ago, after it became obvious that the wrapper could no longer protect the games being given away from hackers. It was so easy to hack into the wrapper and extract a reinstallable copy of the registered game. Some developers became concerned at this because games were appearing on peer to peer sites within minutes of going live. If the giveaway team hadn't done something we would have lost most if not all of the developers such as Alawar and Playrix ages ago. The security software has casued problems for a lot of giveaway users because their security suites have blocked installation of the games as the suites 'think' the software, is malware, but it isn't. The security used is Themida. (I use the word think loosley as we know software can't really think {an anthropomorphism})

To install the software you may need to disable your security temporarily until the game has been installed. If you are really worried, try using a sandbox first to allay any fears that your computer is going to get infected or scan the giveaway files using one of the well known online suites and you'll see it's perfectly safe. Norton is one of the security programs that always seems to detect the giveaway security as a threat.

Just in case you've never seen me post the following, I'll post it again. The game giveaway team have been giving games away since Dec 2006 and some games via the giveaway site prior to that from October 2006 till the game giveaway site was opened, also for a couple of weeks around Easter 2008 when the game giveaway team had to stop giving games away every day. I think the recession that hit in 2008 was partly to blame. Arcade game prices came crashing down from an average of almost $20 each to around $6 and AAA games reduced their prices much quicker after release than previously. (for example, most games held their release prices for at least 6 months before any reductions were added prior to 2008. Now some AAA games can be reduced withing weeks. The recession isn't the only reason for the massive drop inprices. Most games have become much easier to buy digitally online than buying a hard copy. My favorite gaming shop Game UK no longer runs shops that sell hard copies. They still sell them onl;ine, but the shop outlets closed down several years ago. I remeber prior to the recession (and my accident) i used to visit my local game shop at least weekly and they used to devote at least a quarter of the shop to PC games. by the time the recession had hit in 2008 and within a couple of years, that percentage went down to literally just a couple of shelves that couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 percent of the shops space. The rest was devoted to console games.

Tried to install but 360 internet security will not allow, says trojan virus. Just saying.

<blockquote>
..............................Moderator Comment..................................

Hi Norman,  it's a false positive.  Firstly, if there was   an issue,  there would have been hundreds of  posts commenting on it.  The  problem lies with  the security software   that is   bundled with the giveaway.  The giveaway team were forced into using it  a few years ago, after   it became obvious that the wrapper  could no longer protect the games being given away from hackers.  It was  so easy to  hack into the wrapper and extract a  reinstallable copy of the  registered game.  Some developers became concerned at this because  games were  appearing on peer to peer sites within minutes of going live.  If the giveaway team hadn't   done something we would have lost   most if not all of the developers such as Alawar and Playrix  ages ago.  The security software  has casued problems for a lot of giveaway users   because their security suites have blocked  installation of the games   as the suites  'think' the    software, is malware, but it isn't.  The security  used is Themida. (I use   the word think loosley as we know  software can't really think {an anthropomorphism})

To install the software you may need to  disable your  security temporarily until the game has been installed.  If you are really worried, try using a sandbox first   to allay  any fears that your computer is going to get infected or   scan the  giveaway files   using one of the well known online  suites and you'll see it's perfectly safe.  Norton is one of the     security   programs that always seems to detect the giveaway security as a threat.

Just in case you've never seen me post the following, I'll post it again. The game giveaway team have been giving games away since Dec 2006 and some games via the giveaway site prior to that from October 2006 till the game giveaway site was opened, also for a couple of weeks around Easter 2008 when the game giveaway team had to stop giving games away every day. I think the recession that hit in 2008 was partly to blame. Arcade game prices came crashing down from an average of almost $20 each to around $6 and AAA games reduced their prices much quicker after release than previously. (for example, most games held their release prices for at least 6 months before any reductions were added prior to 2008. Now some AAA games can be reduced withing weeks. The recession isn't the only reason for the massive drop inprices. Most games have become much easier to buy digitally online than buying a hard copy. My favorite gaming shop Game UK no longer runs shops that sell hard copies. They still sell them onl;ine, but the shop outlets closed down several years ago. I remeber prior to the recession (and my accident) i used to visit my local game shop at least weekly and they used to devote at least a quarter of the shop to PC games. by the time the recession had hit in 2008 and within a couple of years, that percentage went down to literally just a couple of shelves that couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 percent of the shops space. The rest was devoted to console games.</blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by Norman Stewart – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#21

Correction.... How does one LOAD a saved game?

Reply | Comment by NWG22 – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#20

O.K., I'm obviously missing something here. I used the tutorial and read the comments that the game autosaves. However... when I try to load a saved game later it takes me right back to the screen "Dashboard" asking it I want to take the tutorial again. I can find no icon or anything that allows me to continue gameplay where I left off the last time I exited from the game. How does one save an autosaved game? Thanks.

Reply | Comment by NWG22 – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#19

This isn't my type of game so I can't say anything about the game itself.

However, I have to respond to the comment of: Why it requires Java, I do not know, esp. as every computer past WinXP has Java installed already, so it seems to be a major waste of space in the game file.

Neither my Windows 7, nor Windows 8.1 computers came with Java and neither has it now. I refuse to use it. I just got an email the other day that Chrome will no longer support java! It's just too vulnerable!

.......................................Moderator comment.........................................

Hi Diane,

I have a lot of games that require Java for example Minecraft and one of my favorite games of all time ArmA 3 as well as a helicopter sim called Take on Helicopters and my Tom Clancy squad based games Rainbow Six FPS games, the brilliant arcade flight sim IL-Sturmovik as well as others, plus I require Java to access my bank details and Adobe CS requires Java as well. I can't do without my CS as it's become so useful with my photo editing etc. I still think Adobe Photoshop, which is part of the suite (CS = complete suite and includes loads of programs such as Photoshop, InDesign, lllustrator, Dreamweaver, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Flash Professional and other programs), is the best all round photo editing software available. If I could find something as good that didn't use Java, and there was an alternative that would allow me to play the games that require Java I'd happily drop it.

The problem with any software that becomes ubiquitous is that hackers will target it and eventually it becomes a liability, it happened to Adobe Reader and Flash as well and its one of the reasons Windows compared to Apple has been suffering malware attacks these long years. (Though malware attacks on Macs are slowly catching up). If Macintosh computers become as widespread as windows PC's their security vulnerablities will also become equal to Windows.

Personally I can't ever recall having any problems with Java installed on my computer so far. However you use you computer; if it's connected to the internet you are vunerable, even with the best security. :)

This isn't my type of game so I can't say anything about the game itself.

However, I have to respond to the comment of:  Why it requires Java, I do not know, esp. as every computer past WinXP has Java installed already, so it seems to be a major waste of space in the game file.

Neither my Windows 7, nor Windows 8.1 computers came with Java and neither has it now.  I refuse to use it.  I just got an email the other day that Chrome will no longer support java!  It's just too vulnerable!

<blockquote>.......................................Moderator comment.........................................

Hi Diane,

I have a lot of games that require Java for example Minecraft and one of my favorite games of all time ArmA 3 as well as a helicopter sim called Take on Helicopters and my Tom Clancy  squad based games  Rainbow Six  FPS games,  the brilliant arcade  flight sim IL-Sturmovik  as well as others, plus I require Java to access my  bank details  and  Adobe CS  requires  Java as well.  I can't  do without my CS  as it's become   so useful with my photo editing etc. I still think Adobe Photoshop, which is part of  the suite (CS = complete suite and includes  loads of programs such as Photoshop,  InDesign, lllustrator, Dreamweaver, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Flash Professional  and other programs),  is  the best all round photo editing software available.  If I could find something as good  that didn't use Java,  and there was an alternative that would allow me to play   the games that require Java I'd  happily  drop it.

The problem with any software that becomes ubiquitous is that hackers will target it and eventually it becomes a liability,  it happened to  Adobe Reader and Flash as well and its one of the reasons Windows compared to Apple has been suffering malware attacks these long years.  (Though malware attacks on Macs are slowly catching up).  If Macintosh computers become as widespread as windows PC's  their security  vulnerablities will also become equal to  Windows.

Personally I can't ever recall having any problems with Java installed on my computer so far. However you use you computer; if it's connected to the internet you are vunerable, even with the best security. :)</blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by Diane – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#18

Great giveaway today. A lot like risk but much more detailed. I managed to take 4 cities then the AI ganged up on me. LOL It has lots of replay value. Runs fine on Windows 8.1 64 bit. Thanks to the developer and GGOTD.

.......................................Moderator comment.........................................

:)

Reply | Comment by Bryan – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#17

"Why it requires Java, I do not know, esp. as every computer past WinXP has Java installed already, so it seems to be a major waste of space in the game file."

It was written in Java rather than one of the more common programming languages, e.g. C/C++. Most PCs/laptops do not have it installed -- few if any come with it -- because it is an added security risk. You can debate whether Java itself is more or less secure than alternatives, but it's like Flash in that it presents another attack surface you have to defend. Also like Flash you need to keep it updated to hopefully avoid more common Java exploits.

"The game was giving me constant Java errors... I thought I would substitute the newest Java... still giving me errors... I am running Win7 Ultimate SP-1 64Bit."

You aren't by any chance running the 64 bit Java are you? If so try to uninstall -- there's a page on the Java site to make sure it's gone -- & try the 32 bit version. It's also a good idea BTW to, again using tools on the Java site, make sure the older version is gone after updating.

.......................................Moderator comment.........................................

Thanks for the feedback Mike, as always, your technical input is appreciated :D

Reply | Comment by mike – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#16

I LOVE IT! YEA! YEA! IT'S RISK!

.......................................Moderator comment.........................................

Come on Swampy, was expecting a few more words. :D

Reply | Comment by Swamp Thing – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#15

@Mike - If you watch the short tutorial you'll see this game is VERY easy to play and quite addictive; almost no learning curve. It is RISK on steroids. If you downloaded this because you like RISK, you'll be kicking yourself later if you don't give it a chance, especially when you see how it has sea ports.

Reply | Comment by George – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#14

Western borders, sorry, duh.

Reply | Comment by gb – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#13

Australia and crawl through Asia. Less borders to defend, ultimately; especially if I could get into Ukraine as well and consolidate all those eastern Asian borders, lol. Ooops, letting my strategy out of the bag there, hehe.

................................Moderator Comment...............................

:) :)

Reply | Comment by gb – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#12

Sounds great! We used to play the board game when I was a child -- I usually went for Australia to start. :)

................................Moderator comment..................................

I also used to go for Australia first, then South America :)

Reply | Comment by SusanBeth – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#11

Fantastic, thanks GGOTD! I love Risk and this is a good enough variety of the game. Also, very pleased to see something away from the norm of Match 3's, HOG's and Kiddy games. :D Thumbs up from me.

Reply | Comment by gb – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#10

The game looked interesting, so I thought I would give it a try.

The bulk of the game is not game data, it is a Java installation that takes up the most space, it comes with a version of Java from 01/2014. Why it requires Java, I do not know, esp. as every computer past WinXP has Java installed already, so it seems to be a major waste of space in the game file.

The game was giving me constant Java errors when I tried to start the game, so finally I thought I would substitute the newest Java for what came with the game to see if it made a difference, however it was still giving me errors, albeit different ones now. I haven't gotten the time to fiddle with it anymore as of now, I'll drop by later to see if anyone has a solution or if I find anything I will post some additional data.

I am running Win7 Ultimate SP-1 64Bit.

Also, White Rabbit, you may wish to edit this phrase in your post: "the unzipped setup file installs Incinerate to the following path:", and replace the word Incinerate. :) That's what happens when you use a text template!

.............................Moderator Comment........................

Thanks Nevada, I tend to copy previous reviews for the basics like the titles to each section. Plus some area's such as installation and the later sections on games remain virtually the same. I was so tired this morning I didn't proof read the review.

Reply | Comment by Nevada – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#9

Nice, something different compared to many previous games given away in the past (Match-3, HO, puzzle stuff, phone ports). WinRisk has been mentioned already, there is another WinRisk-inspired freeware called TurboRisk.

I like. =)

................................Moderator Comment...............................

:)

Reply | Comment by BartA.D. – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#8

yee ha ! thanks for this very cool risk's like game.

................................Moderator Comment...............................

:)

Reply | Comment by polonaise – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#7

Already got hooked for over 3 hours just after installing - definitely one of the best here! Thank you! Hours of fun in perspetive!

................................Moderator Comment...............................

:)

Reply | Comment by S.A. – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#6

I won't have time to play beyond the tutorial today, so I'm just commenting to say thank you. Wow, a classic strategy game, with a huge, well-drawn map of Europe. Oh joy! This is the game giveaway of my dreams.

For those who are wondering (since the description suggests otherwise) Age of Conquest III is a single player version of the game, in which your opposing player is AI.

Many, many thanks to Immanitas Entertainment and GGOTD for this fantastic giveaway, and to Stephen for his excellent review.

................................Moderator comment..................................

Hi Julia, glad you like the game. Yes, I should have made it clearer about the game being single player only. I've only edited and added some bits to the review, which i've referenced at the bottom of the game description. There is a separate online version where you can play agains real opponents.:)

Reply | Comment by Julia – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#5

@Whiterabbit: You give 8 of 10 - hmmm - I have discarded it after a glance.
1. I hate games with own cursor
2. I have a 1600x900 monitor but all is too little in the game
3. Poor and boring graphic (no wonder - it´s a many years old game)
4. I don´t like to read a lot of instructions to learn it
Nice weekend

...........................Moderator comment...........................

The game isn't that old Mike. Also there's a whole genre of games that use this type of graphic. It's actually a very popular genre. for example Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis (into its fourth iteration and still selling like hotcakes), Supreme Ruler 2020, SuperPower 2, War, The Game, Rise of Prussia, Fate of the World, World War 2, World War I, Vietnam '65, Making History: The Calm & the Storm, Making History II, Hearts of Iron I, II & III to name just a few well known ones.

Fancy graphics like you get in Battlefield 4, ArmA 3, Grand Theft Auto V do not necessarily make a good game, sometimes the simplest graphic can yield a brilliant, addictive and long lasting game, just look at Minecraft; originally created by one guy, who made millions in the first year, before it had even been officially released. The graphics look like they were from 15 years ago, yet its one of the most popular games around and has been for about three or four years. I still play a game I purchased back in 1992 called Darklands. looking at the graphic now, it looks extremely basic, with a text based adventure mode, a map based travelling mode and a gauntlet like combat system, and with the graphic looking so pixilated, by today's standards it looks aweful; yet the game play is still better than any Role Playing Game I've ever played. It's that good, Valve added it to its Steam store though not before GOG got their hands on it 2 years ago. Prior to that it was available free on many abandonware sites.

Anyway I digress and waffle. Each to their own. :)

@Whiterabbit: You give 8 of 10 - hmmm - I have discarded it after a glance.
1. I hate games with own cursor
2. I have a 1600x900 monitor but all is too little in the game
3. Poor and boring graphic (no wonder - it´s a many years old game)
4. I don´t like to read a lot of instructions to learn it
Nice weekend

<blockquote>
...........................Moderator comment...........................

The game isn't that old Mike.  Also there's a whole genre of games that use this type of graphic.  It's actually a very popular genre.  for example Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis (into its fourth iteration and still selling like hotcakes), Supreme Ruler 2020, SuperPower 2, War, The Game, Rise of Prussia, Fate of the World, World War 2, World War I, Vietnam '65, Making History: The Calm & the Storm, Making History II, Hearts of Iron I, II & III to name just a few well known ones.

Fancy graphics like you get in Battlefield 4, ArmA 3, Grand Theft Auto V do not necessarily make   a good game, sometimes the simplest graphic can  yield a brilliant, addictive and long lasting  game, just look at Minecraft; originally created by one guy, who made millions in the first year, before it had even been officially  released.  The graphics look like  they were  from 15 years ago, yet its one of the most popular games around and has been for about three or four years.    I still play a game I purchased back in 1992 called Darklands.  looking at the  graphic now, it looks extremely  basic, with  a text based   adventure mode, a map based travelling  mode and a gauntlet like  combat system, and with   the graphic looking so pixilated,  by today's standards it looks aweful; yet the game play is still better than any Role Playing Game I've ever played. It's that good, Valve added it to its Steam store  though not before GOG got their hands on it  2 years ago.  Prior to that it was available free on many abandonware sites.

Anyway I digress and waffle. Each to their own. :)</blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by Mike – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#4

Will not install on win7 64bit - After launching setup, the little wheel spins for ever and nothing happens. Gave up after 10 minutes

................................Moderator comment..................................

Hi AliRut, check the FAQ's thread over in the game discussion forums. i've linked to it in the problems section of my review. It could be something you are running in the background is conflicting wityh the installation. It may be your security is blocking it, or maybe the package is corrupted somehow. I've installed it to a win 8.1 and a win 7 platform and it works absolutely fine on both computers.:)

Reply | Comment by AliRut – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#3

Well, WinRisk is a nice game and this is pretty much the same.

Reply | Comment by takiainen – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#2

Great to see new Giveaway talent on the games! This one is a keeper! :)

.............................Moderator Comment....................................

Hi Jason. :)

The original is coming to Steam very soon. :)

Reply | Comment by Little Bear – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#1

Sorry, took me virtually all day to add the extra images and proof read it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Age of Conquest III

In Brief:

Today's game is the single player version of the game. There is a multiplaer version, which is implied in the description below, but we don't get the multiplayer version. That will be available on Steam fairly soon. Age of Conquest III is a medieval Risk-like turn-based strategy game, where you take the reins of a budding empire and struggle against other empires for control of the world. The main difference is that you may be veing for supremacy against a hundred opponents as opposed to just a few in the traditional game of Risk, or the computer version WinRisk or you can choose a region such as Europe, North America or South America to play.

Installation:

The zip file once downloaded should be 61.4 Mb in size and when installed to the default path mentioned below is 111 Mb. Installation is a breeze; the unzipped setup file installs Age of conquest III to the following path:

C:\Games\AgeOfConquestIII_Game

Once installed you can delete the wrapped setup file (for those that are new to the giveaway project that's the orange colored file with a key symbol on the icon; you can also delete the Setup.gcd security file and the read me document.

There is no desktop icon created during installation so you will have to create your own via the above path or via which ever path you chose for yourself. If you also want a start menu shortcut you will have to go into Documents and Settings which is found in the root directory (C:\).

i.e. C:\Documents and Settings\name\Start Menu\Programs\ (XP) or C:\Users\(User-Name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\ (Win 7 & 8 and Vista)

where 'name' equals administrator, or whatever name you use for your account. Just create a new folder within the program folder and add a shortcut from the games executable file. (right click and select create shortcut then copy that to the folder you've just created - you can also use the same shortcut and copy it to the desktop or select send to desktop {create shortcut}).

The game should work on all iterations of Windows. ;-)

Introduction:

Age of Conquest III is a turn-based strategy game somewhat like the classic Risk, but more in-depth. The goal is to conquer the map by taking over all the provinces on the map. Each turn you first view the events for the current turn and then input the orders for the next turn. You are able to recruit new soldiers, build watch towers and fortifications, move/attack, or disband military units. Typically you will buy new soldiers, attack adjacent provides to increase the size of your empire and add watch towers or fortifications to increase the defensive strength of a province. You are also able to fine-tune your finances by adjusting income and expenses. You can send out diplomatic requests or respond to diplomatic inquiries to foster relations with your neighbors.

Reference: accessed HERE 26th June 09

The Game:

Age of Conquest III is one of those titles that is influenced from a popular strategy game and tweaks its rules and setup a little bit. A quick glance at the game screen in AoC III reveals that its influence is the popular board game RISK. Whereas with RISK territories were more general in their location, AoC III adds in dozens upon dozens more. This creates some unique strategic elements that wouldn't necessarily be found in the original RISK.

What exactly separates Age of Conquest III from RISK? First off, there is no randomized dice roll to determine the loss of units. Instead there are modifiers that affect the outcome of each attack in a turn. Defenders will receive a boost for defense and if their territory contains a castle. There is also a multiplier if you have Empire Management on as you can use tax money to increase the fighting power of your armies. More than likely the one with the largest amount of army units will win but usually at a heavy cost for the attacker. This leads to the strategy of how much gold you spend on troops to protect your territories while gathering enough to beat an opponent. Those that have played RISK know of this strategy pretty well and so it should be second nature in Age of Conquest III.

The way to play Age of Conquest III relies on several factors. The more territories you own, the more actions you get in a turn. Building a castle and watchtower and raising and moving troops cost certain amount of points to do. Having gold is another factor, as it costs gold to build your castles and watchtowers and raise troops. Gold also comes into play when you are attacking territories through seaborne invasion. All these actions are possible from just simply clicking on territories you own, as a circular menu pops up to select an action. Very rarely do you use your keyboard.

Age of Conquest III also has the ability to create diplomatic relations with your opponents. With the AI this interaction is limited to declaring truces and wars and alliances, where as online you can send private messages for behind-the-back-scheming that a lot of us had done with the board game version. ;) With diplomacy on, you cannot do surprise attacks and must declare war before attacking. This gives everyone a turn to prepare themselves and not be completely overwhelmed. Players this time around will have to build watch towers to see how many troops are stationed in neighboring territories, failure to do so and you'll be surprised when 50,000 troops barrel into your weakly defended territory.

Age of Conquest III is full of options to start a game. You can select world domination, North America, Africa, Europe and even South America as your playing field. There are a number of settings for opponents and how many, as well as using historical settings or random placement. There are also two game types to select for the end game, total domination or standard. Total domination is self explanatory while standard is a victory through capturing and holding a certain number of territories. World domination is great for those that want to completely and totally destroy their enemies for a victory, but near the endgame when you have amassed large armies and swaths of territories, it becomes too easy no matter the difficulty and settings. Standard is bit more competitive as you'll keep an eye out for enemies (or allies) that are approaching the winning limit of territories. By then it becomes a mad rush to capture their territories which in turn will cause other players to go after that player. It becomes a crazed, intense vicious cycle.

Unique in Age of Conquest III is also having Kings/Queens. These are the leaders of your country that you want to protect at all cost. Capturing them ends up with the player gaining a large number of territories while killing them (when they cannot retreat to a safer location) nets you their entire empire. While a great idea is to try and find the Kings/Queens to capture and kill, it can work out to your enemies benefit. Territory suddenly ceded to you will be vulnerable to current enemies and easily captured. The strategy of how you wage your war against the enemy should always be thought through, even in a game as simple looking Age of Conquest III.

A feature that was discovered after being unable to find it was the autosave. There is no individual save feature, each turn the game saves itself. This is handy for players that forget to save or don't want to go through the hassle of saving. The only downside here is that there is no chance to backtrack if you make a mistake, so plan your moves carefully!

Age of Conquest III doesn't require a state of the art gaming rig to run.
The only possible issue is the color coding for countries. With dozens and dozens of possible sides to have on the board, some of the colors may blend together, especially the lighter ones. This isn't so much of a problem on smaller maps but if you are doing the entire world, it is possible but not very likely that you'll get confused on who is who at a quick glance.

Overall the art is clear and well done, it isn't too washed out or a terrible conglomeration of colors and mismatched detail. Useful information such as the number of units, who owns what territory, as well as castles and watchtowers are displayed clearly on the map. Age of Conquest III benefits greatly from this as there are no menus and sub-menus to click through to see additional stats.

The way of sound isn't much to comment on as it is just a few basic sounds for attacking and moving units. This doesn't detract nor add to Age of Conquest III as it is a very simple and fun title to play. Playing it on mute won't affect the gameplay as the action is centered on the screen and shown clearly. The intro music is powerful and IMO appropriate for this game.

Edited Reference accessed HERE April 18th 2015

Key Features:

1) ... Multiple maps including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia/Pacific, a World Map and many more.
2) ... Over hundred empires to play with from all over the world.
3) ... Scenarios ranging from ancient to modern times. Fantasy scenarios including zombie nations.
4) ... God mode option to see all the empires on the map.
5) ... Simple building options including fortifications and watch towers.
6) ... AI difficulty settings ranging from easy to extreme.
7) ... Random placement and random fill options at game start.
8) ... One game provides hours of entertainment.
9) ... Background music matching the map and scenario you are playing.
10) ... Management of income and spending as well as basic population and economy management.
11) ... Diplomacy including alliances, peace treaties, cease-fires and vassallage.
12) ... Map editor to create custom maps. A map manager allows uploading your own maps and downloading other people's maps.

Video:

You can see several videos of game play HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. Warning, these videos do contain spoilers.

System Requirements:

Operating system - Windows XP/ Vista/ 7/ 8
System RAM - 512MB (1GB Recommended)
Disk space requirements - 100 MB

Music:

There's no way you can change the in game music unless you are a coder. If you don't like the in game music you can turn it off via the options menu, then play something via your media player, or just don't have music playing in the back ground. :)

Conclusion:

If you've played Risk before, then you'll easily pick up on the basics of the game pretty quickly. There is a tutorial you can do at any time to help you understand the game. There is also an in game help section which explains the game well. I highly recommend trying this game, especially if you are into RISK-style games. It runs easily on any platform and you have several language options to choose from when you first boot the game up. There are a lot of modes to try and various rules to experiment with to make each campaign a unique one. Even if you've never played a risk style game before, Age of Conquest III makes it very easy to get into. It's a great game to play on a wet Sunday afternoon with the family and or friends.

Scoring:

Gameplay - 8
Graphics - 7
Replayability - 9
Originality - 8

total 32 out of 40 which is equivalent to 8 out of 10

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Problems:

If you have any problems installing or getting Age of Conquest III to work please go HERE for help. I've posted all of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread, which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by following the above link.

If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums, in the game discussion section because I cannot moderate 24hrs a day over the weekend. I've created a thread HERE for that purpose. If you've installed the game but it won’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at another time. Unfortunately if your problem is actually installing it then once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done until the game is given away again (though that isn't guaranteed). Sometimes you can still register the game after the giveaway has ended so long as you managed to start the download before the giveaway ends. I've tested this and the grace period lasts for up to 1 hour.

It’s always worth checking out the free games sites because sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity (MPC) has the most with over 1000 games to choose from. Other sites include Gametop and FreeGamePick. Todays game isn't available on any of the free game sites.

If you do download any games from MyPlayCity, Gametop or the other free game sites 'do' watch out for toolbars etc. Make sure you un-check the check-boxes during installation, and, in the case of MyPlayCity, every time you boot the game up, (this may have changed now as these free game sites tend to change the format frequently. .. I've posted links to all of the common free game sites below in the games, games games section. :)
For now I won't be recommending you download games from Jenkat Games. They have changed the way you get games from their site. Diane has posted information about this over in the game discussion forums. If I have time or remember, I'll link to it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Games, Games, and yet more Games plus Download, Installation & Game play Problems:

There are 271 games on sale over on Steam this week, ranging from 10% to 90% off. There's also a Sega sale this week with up to 75% off publishers prices. You can find a full list of all sale items HERE.

You'll also find some excellent deals over on the following Game sites.

GreenManGaming
Gamersgate Summer Sale
GOG (DRM free games)
Desura
Gamestop
GameFly (soon to be sold off)

Free Game Sites:

MyPlayCity (over a 1000 games to choose from)
Gametop
FreeGamePick

To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a very decent price. If like me you prefer Steamworks games, many of the above sites also sell steamwork games.

If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles (there's over 20 of them - If you purchased all of them you'd be paying around $80 for around a thousand dollars worth of games); or check out the four day sales at IndieGameStand. you'll find the indie bundles thread HERE. The thread is outdated, but all of the links will still take you to the latest bundles.

The latest IndieGameStand game is Dungeon Prospector an old-school dungeon crawler/roguelike in 3D. You're in an infinite dungeon (in length and width) full of monsters and treasures. How far can you go and how long can you survive?

Game features:

- Dungeon generation.
- Over 35 items (food/potions/weapons/armor).
- 5 monsters.
- 2 Bosses.
- Rest / hunger system.
- Leveling.
- Permadeath.
- Crafting.

plus if you pay over the average, which at the time of writing was $1.48 you will get a another game called Iso-Sphere, both games are drm free, plus you get a Desura key for the main game.
You can pay as little as $1 for the game if you wish. This bundle ends around 5am (GMT) Monday 20th April.

The latest Daily Indie game is called Platypus a fast, frantic and fun arcade-style shoot-em-up!!
The vast continent-spanning city of Collosatropolis has finally reached the limits of its expansion. Tall buildings cover every available space. The air is thick with smoke and poisonous chemicals. Parking is a nightmare.
The Collosotropolan leaders have decided the simplest solution is to invade the neighbouring country of Mungola. They don't anticipate much of a struggle - Mungolans are simple, earthy types without much love for industry. In fact, Mungola's entire defence force consists of a single squadron of fighter planes - the venerable F-27 Platypus.
What possible threat could a few antique aircraft be to the mighty Collosotropolan Battle Fleet...?
To the Mungolan people the venerable F-27 Platypus is their last best hope for freedom!

Features:

- Unlimited Play
- Two-Player Simultaneous Action
- Stunning Claymation Graphics
- Addictive, Exciting Game Play
- Adjustable Difficulty Settings
- Perfect for the Entire Family

You can get two keys if you pay more than the average of $1 (at the time of writing no one had purchased it - the price will slowly rise, but rarely gets higher than around $1.30); one key to share with a friend or family member perhaps?. You'll find that deal HERE. They also have four bundles of several games that'll cost you less than $1.50 each HERE (DIG Bundles 25 and 26, Desura bundle 4, plus Rebundle 6 ). You get Steam keys for all of these games apart from the Desura bundle. Though some of the games are on Valves Greenlight project and should get Steam keys if Greenlit. The single game deal ends Midnight Tuesday (GMT) and will be replaced with Chains a challenging puzzle game with a unique feel and distinctive vector graphics style.

Most of the other bundles retail for around $5 give or take a few dollars (apart from the Daily Indie bundles that only cost $1.49 for six games), but you can pay as little as a dollar for some.
The free game from Origin has changed to the original Syndicate from 1993. It's been optimised for todays computers. Well worth getting, especially if you are into classic games from the 1990's Check it out HERE

========================================================

A Request for helpl>:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen

========================================================

Sorry, took me  virtually all day to  add the extra images and proof read it.

Age of Conquest III

In Brief:

Today's game is the single player version of the game.  There is a multiplaer version, which  is implied in the description below, but we don't get the  multiplayer version.  That will be available  on Steam  fairly soon. Age of Conquest III is a medieval Risk-like turn-based strategy game, where you take the reins of a budding empire and struggle against other empires for control of the world. The main difference is that you may be veing   for supremacy  against  a hundred opponents as opposed to just a few in the  traditional game of Risk, or the computer  version WinRisk or you can choose a region such as Europe,  North America or South America to   play.

Installation:

The   zip file once downloaded should be 61.4  Mb in size and   when installed    to the default path mentioned below  is  111 Mb.  Installation is a breeze; the unzipped  setup  file  installs Age of conquest III  to the following path:

C:\Games\AgeOfConquestIII_Game

Once installed you can delete the  wrapped setup file (for those that are new to the giveaway project   that's  the orange colored file with a key symbol on the icon; you can also delete the Setup.gcd security   file and the  read me document.

There is no desktop icon created during installation so you will have to create your own via the above path or via   which ever path you chose for yourself. If you  also want a start menu shortcut you will have to go into Documents and Settings which is found in the root directory (C:\).

i.e. C:\Documents and Settings\name\Start Menu\Programs\ (XP) or C:\Users\(User-Name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\ (Win 7 & 8 and Vista)

where 'name' equals administrator, or whatever name you use for your account. Just create a new folder within the program folder and add a shortcut from the games executable file. (right click and select create shortcut then copy that to the folder you've just created - you can also use the same shortcut and copy it to the desktop or select send to desktop {create shortcut}).

The game should work on all iterations of Windows.   ;-)

Introduction:

<blockquote>Age of Conquest III is a turn-based strategy game somewhat like the classic Risk, but more in-depth. The goal is to conquer the map by taking over all the provinces on the map. Each turn you first view the events for the current turn and then input the orders for the next turn. You are able to recruit new soldiers, build watch towers and fortifications, move/attack, or disband military units. Typically you will buy new soldiers, attack adjacent provides to increase the size of your empire and add watch towers or fortifications to increase the defensive strength of a province. You are also able to fine-tune your finances by adjusting income and expenses. You can send out diplomatic requests or respond to diplomatic inquiries to foster relations with your neighbors.</blockquote>

Reference: accessed <a href="http://www.gamersgate.co.uk/DD-AOC3/age-of-conquest-iii" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> 26th June 09

The Game:

Age of Conquest III is one of those titles that is influenced from a popular strategy game and tweaks its rules and setup a little bit. A quick glance at the game screen in AoC III reveals that its influence is the popular board game RISK. Whereas with RISK territories were more general in their location, AoC III adds in dozens upon dozens more. This creates some unique strategic elements that wouldn't necessarily be found in the original  RISK.

What exactly separates Age of Conquest III from RISK? First off, there is no randomized dice roll to determine the loss of units. Instead there are modifiers that affect the outcome of each attack in a turn. Defenders will receive a boost for defense and if their territory contains a castle. There is also a multiplier if you have Empire Management on as you can use tax money to increase the fighting power of your armies. More than likely the one with the largest amount of army units will win but usually at a heavy cost for the attacker. This leads to the strategy of how much gold you spend on troops to protect your territories while gathering enough to beat an opponent. Those that have played RISK know of this strategy pretty well and so it should be second nature in Age of Conquest III.

The way to play Age of Conquest III relies on several factors. The more territories you own, the more actions you get in a turn. Building a castle and watchtower and raising and moving troops cost certain amount of points to do. Having gold is another factor, as it costs gold to build your castles and watchtowers and raise troops. Gold also comes into play when you are attacking territories through seaborne invasion. All these actions are possible from just simply clicking on territories you own, as a circular menu pops up to select an action. Very rarely do you use your keyboard.

Age of Conquest III also has the ability to create  diplomatic relations  with your opponents. With the AI this interaction is limited to declaring truces and wars and alliances, where as online you can send private messages for behind-the-back-scheming that a lot of us had done with the board game version. ;)  With diplomacy on,  you cannot do surprise attacks and must declare war before attacking. This gives everyone a turn to prepare themselves and not be completely overwhelmed. Players this time around will have to build watch towers to see how many troops are stationed in neighboring territories, failure to do so and you'll be surprised when 50,000 troops barrel into your weakly defended territory.

Age of Conquest III is  full of options to start a game. You can select world domination, North America, Africa, Europe and even South America as your playing field. There are a number of settings for opponents and how many, as well as using historical settings or random placement. There are also two game types to select for the end game, total domination or standard. Total domination is self explanatory while standard is a victory through capturing and holding a certain number of territories. World domination is great for those that want to completely and totally destroy their enemies for a victory, but near the endgame when you have amassed large armies and swaths of territories, it becomes too easy no matter the difficulty and settings. Standard is bit more competitive as you'll keep an eye out for enemies (or allies) that are approaching the winning limit of territories. By then it becomes a mad rush to capture their territories which in turn will cause other players to go after that player. It becomes a crazed, intense vicious cycle.

Unique in Age of Conquest III is also having Kings/Queens. These are the leaders of your country that you want to protect at all cost. Capturing them ends up with the player gaining a large number of territories while killing them (when they cannot retreat to a safer location) nets you their entire empire. While a great idea is to try and find the Kings/Queens to capture and kill, it can work out to your enemies benefit. Territory suddenly ceded to you will be vulnerable to current enemies and easily captured. The strategy of how you wage your war against the enemy should always be thought through, even in a game as simple looking Age of Conquest III.

A feature that was discovered after being unable to find it was the autosave. There is no individual save feature, each turn the game saves itself. This is handy for players that forget to save or don't want to go through the hassle of saving. The only downside here is that there is no chance to backtrack if you make a mistake, so plan your moves carefully!

Age of Conquest III doesn't require a state of the art gaming rig to run. 
The only possible  issue  is the color coding for countries. With dozens and dozens of possible sides to have on the board, some of the colors may blend together, especially the lighter ones. This isn't so much of a problem on smaller maps but if you are doing the entire world, it is possible but not very likely that you'll get confused on who is who at a quick glance.

Overall the art is clear and well done, it isn't too washed out or a terrible conglomeration of colors and mismatched detail. Useful information such as the number of units, who owns what territory, as well as castles and watchtowers are displayed clearly on the map. Age of Conquest III benefits greatly from this as there are no menus and sub-menus to click through to see additional stats.

The way of sound isn't much to comment on as it is just a few basic sounds for attacking and moving units. This doesn't detract nor add to Age of Conquest III as it is a very simple and fun title to play. Playing it on mute won't affect the gameplay as the action is centered on the screen and shown clearly. The intro music is powerful and IMO appropriate for this game.

Edited Reference accessed <a href="http://www.wargamer.com/article/2978/age-of-conquest-iii" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> April 18th 2015

Key Features:

<ul>
<blockquote> 1) ... Multiple maps including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia/Pacific, a World Map and many more.
 2) ... Over hundred empires to play with from all over the world.
 3) ... Scenarios ranging from ancient to modern times. Fantasy scenarios including zombie nations.
 4) ... God mode option to see all the empires on the map.
 5) ... Simple building options including fortifications and watch towers.
 6) ... AI difficulty settings ranging from easy to extreme.
 7) ... Random placement and random fill options at game start.
 8) ... One game provides hours of entertainment.
 9) ... Background music matching the map and scenario you are playing.
 10) ... Management of income and spending as well as basic population and economy management.
 11) ... Diplomacy including alliances, peace treaties, cease-fires and vassallage.
 12) ... Map editor to create custom maps. A map manager allows uploading your own maps and downloading other people's maps.</blockquote></ul>

Video:

You can see several videos of game play <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsX4nZInZNI" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saIQqgsEGzI" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrBPNqxvklg" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP3t6D1esKg" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BZHG_omolQ" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. Warning, these videos do contain spoilers.

System Requirements:

Operating system - Windows XP/ Vista/ 7/ 8
System RAM - 512MB  (1GB Recommended)
Disk space requirements - 100 MB

Music:

There's no way you can  change the in game music  unless you are  a coder.  If you don't like the in game music you can turn it off via the options menu, then play  something via your media player, or just don't have music playing in the back ground.  :)

Conclusion:

If you've played Risk before, then you'll easily pick up on the basics of the game pretty quickly. There is a tutorial you can do at any time to help you understand the game. There is also an in game help section which explains the game well.  I highly recommend trying this game, especially if you are into RISK-style games. It runs easily on any platform and you have several language options to choose from when you  first boot the game up.   There are a lot of modes to try and various rules to experiment with to make each campaign a unique one. Even if you've never played a risk style game before, Age of Conquest III makes it very easy to get into. It's a great game to play on a wet  Sunday afternoon with   the family and or  friends.

Scoring:

Gameplay - 8
Graphics - 7
Replayability - 9
Originality - 8

total 32 out of 40  which is equivalent to  8 out of 10

Problems:

If you have any problems installing or getting Age of Conquest III to work please go <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647#post-101133" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> for help. I've posted all of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread, which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by following the above link.

If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums, in the game discussion section because I cannot moderate 24hrs a day over the weekend. I've created a thread <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/257721" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> for that purpose. If you've installed the game but it won’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at another time. Unfortunately if your problem is actually installing it then once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done until the game is given away again (though that isn't guaranteed). Sometimes you can still register the game after the giveaway has ended so long as you managed to start the download before the giveaway ends. I've tested this and the grace period lasts for up to 1 hour.

It’s always worth checking out the free games sites because sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them.  MyPlayCity (MPC) has the most with over 1000 games to choose from.  Other sites include  Gametop and FreeGamePick.    Todays game isn't available on any of the free game sites.

If you do download any  games from MyPlayCity, Gametop or the other free game sites  'do' watch out for toolbars etc. Make sure you un-check the check-boxes during installation, and, in the case of MyPlayCity, every time you boot the game up, (this may have changed now as these free game sites  tend to change  the format  frequently. ..  I've posted links to all of the common free game sites  below in the games, games games section.  :)
For now I won't be recommending   you download games from Jenkat Games. They have changed the way  you get games from their site.  Diane has posted information about this over in the game discussion forums.  If I have time or remember, I'll link to it.

Games, Games, and yet more Games plus Download, Installation & Game play Problems:

There are 271 games on sale over on Steam this week, ranging from 10% to 90% off. There's also a Sega sale this week with up to 75% off publishers prices. You can find a full list of all sale items <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/search/?specials=1&os=win" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.

You'll also find some excellent  deals over on the following Game sites.

<a href="http://www.greenmangaming.com/hot-deals/" rel="nofollow">GreenManGaming</a>
<a href="http://www.gamersgate.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Gamersgate Summer Sale</a>
<a href="http://www.gog.com/" rel="nofollow">GOG</a> (DRM free games)
<a href="http://www.desura.com/games#sale" rel="nofollow">Desura</a>
<a href="http://www.gamestop.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Gamestop</a>
<a href="http://digital.gamefly.co.uk/#!/pc" rel="nofollow">GameFly</a> (soon to be sold off)

Free Game Sites:

<a href="http://www.myplaycity.com/" rel="nofollow">MyPlayCity</a> (over a 1000 games to choose from)
<a href="http://www.gametop.com/" rel="nofollow">Gametop</a>
<a href="http://freegamepick.net/en/" rel="nofollow">FreeGamePick</a>

To be honest there are too many game deals   around too list them all.  Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you   for a very  decent price. If like me you prefer Steamworks games, many of the above sites also sell steamwork games.

If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/forum/17" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles (there's over 20 of them - If you purchased all of them you'd be paying around $80 for around a thousand dollars worth of games); or check out the four day sales at <a href="https://indiegamestand.com/" rel="nofollow">IndieGameStand</a>. you'll find the indie bundles thread <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/100253#post-202848" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. The thread is outdated, but all of the links will still take you to the latest bundles.

The latest IndieGameStand game is Dungeon Prospector   an old-school dungeon crawler/roguelike in 3D. You're in  an infinite dungeon (in length and width) full of monsters and treasures. How far can you go and how long can you survive?

Game features:

- Dungeon generation.
- Over 35 items (food/potions/weapons/armor).
- 5 monsters.
- 2 Bosses.
- Rest / hunger system.
- Leveling.
- Permadeath.
- Crafting.

plus if you pay over the average, which at the  time of writing  was $1.48  you  will get a another game called Iso-Sphere, both games are drm free, plus you get a Desura key for the main game.
You can pay as little as $1 for the game if you wish.  This bundle ends around 5am (GMT)  Monday   20th April.

The latest Daily Indie game is  called  Platypus  a fast, frantic and fun arcade-style shoot-em-up!!
The vast continent-spanning city of Collosatropolis has finally reached the limits of its expansion. Tall buildings cover every available space. The air is thick with smoke and poisonous chemicals. Parking is a nightmare.
The Collosotropolan leaders have decided the simplest solution is to invade the neighbouring country of Mungola. They don't anticipate much of a struggle - Mungolans are simple, earthy types without much love for industry. In fact, Mungola's entire defence force consists of a single squadron of fighter planes - the venerable F-27 Platypus.
What possible threat could a few antique aircraft be to the mighty Collosotropolan Battle Fleet...?
To the Mungolan people the venerable F-27 Platypus is their last best hope for freedom!

Features:

- Unlimited Play
- Two-Player Simultaneous Action
- Stunning Claymation Graphics
- Addictive, Exciting Game Play
- Adjustable Difficulty Settings
- Perfect for the Entire Family

You can get two keys if you pay more than the average of $1 (at the time of writing no one had purchased it - the price will slowly rise, but rarely gets higher than around $1.30); one key to share with a friend or family member perhaps?. You'll find that deal <a href="http://www.dailyindiegame.com/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. They also have four bundles of several games that'll cost you less than $1.50 each <a href="http://www.dailyindiegame.com/bundle_2.html" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> (DIG Bundles 25 and 26, Desura bundle 4, plus Rebundle 6 ). You get Steam keys for all of these games apart from the Desura bundle. Though some of the games are on Valves Greenlight project and should get Steam keys if Greenlit. The single game deal ends Midnight Tuesday (GMT) and will be replaced with Chains a challenging puzzle game with a unique feel and distinctive vector graphics style.

Most of the other bundles retail for around $5 give or take a few dollars (apart from the Daily Indie bundles that only cost $1.49 for six games), but you can pay as little as a dollar for some. 
The free game from Origin has changed to the original Syndicate from 1993. It's been optimised for todays computers. Well worth getting, especially if you are into classic games from the 1990's Check it out <a href="https://www.origin.com/en-gb/store/free-games/on-the-house" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>

A Request for help:

<blockquote>Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment.</blockquote>

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen

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