That's not an easy question to answer, but I hope to attempt to do so as succinctly as possible. Please note that I am to be reviewing this game based on the game itself - the relationship I have with Elixir or Eidos, the fact I want it to succeed so much, the fact that the game has changed dramatically from the suggestions made a few years ago - these will *not* be taken into account. What I will do is tell you what this game is like when you go and pick it off the shelves and put it in your PC for the first time, whatever you know or don't know about the impressively long history of this game.

Comfortable? Good - let's get going...

The game itself is very hard to pinpoint into one specific genre. Calling it a political simulator is perhaps the closest correct definition, however unfortunately dreary the name sounds. You, a lone man, boil with rage against the countries new President, Karasov, a man who had earlier taken your parents away, never to be seen again. This determination to avenge their apparent deaths is what spurs you into creating a faction and plotting, by any means required, to work through the levels until you can topple the President and remove his tyranny forever.

That sounds like a great concept, I am sure you will agree. But before you start installing, I have a suggestion. When you go to buy this game, as I am sure many of you will, go to the shops on the train. Don't drive, don't walk. Don't even buy it online. Why? Because it will give you time before you get to you computer to sit and read the manual. And that, my friends, is the best thing you can do. This game is deep. It is complex. And it has a lot of icons, buttons and gadgets. Paradise for most hard core gamers, and enjoyable for casual gamers too - but not when you don't understand them. Read up about the menus, the options, the ideological variables - it is invaluable that you know them, for when you do, Republic comes alive.

After setting up your faction, done by answering several multiple choice questions (you can see a list of them, and other Republic screenshots, here if you are interested), you will enter the city of Ekaterine, the first of three ever-increasing cities which you must overcome in your path. The storyline is now driven by a number of objectives (at any time you can have several objectives), but that is generally as far as the game constricts you. You choose you to enlist, where to enlist them, and what they should do. As the game progresses, this linearality increases into virtually limitless numbers of possible paths, actions and ideology selections, ensuring a healthy dose of replayability later on.

Your avatar, along with any others that you choose to enlist (there are maximum numbers) are the keys to the hearts and minds of the local population - support with which you can build your standing. Controlling districts in each city gives you set amounts (or a percentage of the set amount) of wealth, influence and force points - vital commodities to pay for setting up new and more powerful actions.

Technical mechanics over, how does the game play? Put simply - slowly but surely. You start off right at the bottom of the ranks, with nothing but a few contacts whom you could go to to get some extra help. The game has a series of objectives, the first being to get one of these guys, and although the learning curve is steep, this mission structure really helps the game progress well.

Patience is a virtue, and you will need it when playing this game, but you will be more than rewarded later if you persevere. Towards the start, things seem slow and complicated - a little bit like information overload - but when you grasp the basics and the ideas surrounding the game, it all becomes fairly easy to understand. And especially towards the latter part of the first city, and more often in the second two cities, the game will draw you in, often surprise you, and always entertain you. I remember one section where I was trying to gain the support of one of my faction members. His resolve was a little low and was threatening to leave my faction. I set off an action called Easy Life, where I use my financial force to buy him a new car and set him up for life. The action played out for me on screen, and seeing his happiness at getting this car was really great. As he drove off, I took out a huge cigar and, with the sun going down behind me and some music drifting over from a nearby subway station, I had this real moment of satisfaction. Hey - all I had done was part with a little cash, but it was one of those little moments which just *worked*.

People often ask me - "should I buy the game?". It's impossible to reply unless I know them really well, for Republic is a little like Marmite - you will either love it or hate it. It sounds cliched, and it is in a way, but that's the long and the short of it. If the idea of the game appeals to you, and strategy gaming is your thing, Republic will provide a great deal of entertainment to you. If not, then read other reviews who may or may not show the game in a different light or from a different slant.

Let's go through some of the specific areas of the game.

SOUND

The music in the game is, in many ways, one of the highlights. It is at worst enjoyable, and at best simply brilliant. The powerful classical score, written by James Hannigan and worked together with other sounds by Richard Joseph and the sound team, deserves all the praise it gets.

VISUALS

The game has come under fire for underusing the graphics engine which has taken so long for Elixir to develop, and in many ways I can see where they are coming from. However, the game wouldn't work without it - it would be boring almost. The 3d graphics are competent, although require serious power to get them moving at a decent framerate, and especially in the later cities, some of the buildings are incredibly ornate and impressive.

GAMEPLAY

Already discussed in the main part of the review, the gameplay is not for everyone, but is sure to please strategy gamers and those who are willing to give the game more than an hours play.

BUGS

I know from reading the forums that this game, like nearly every PC game, is not bug free. However, it looks like 90% of problems which have occurred are due to hardware settings rather than the game itself. I, for one, have not found a single technical error with the game, and compared to a lot of releases, is impressively stable.

OVERALL

This hasn't been a very in depth review, I know. Put simply, unless I wrote for pages and pages, I could never do the complexity and depth of this game justice. Republic is a great game, very enjoyable and addictive. It asks a lot of the player, but gives a lot back. If you still don't know whether Republic is for you, then why not check out some of my action reports to see what you can get up to in the game - that, in many ways, could describe the game much better than this review has.

90%