Aspiring warlords could forgive Stronghold's shortcomings, since the original game gave them the opportunity to build and raze walls, pillage countrysides, and launch cattle from catapults.
It had the distinction of being the only castle simulation from a major publisher since Interplay released Quicksilver's Castles II in 1992. Last year's Stronghold was a slightly uneven combination of city builder and real-time strategy game, with an emphasis on siege warfare.
