In its most basic form Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown is primarily a turn-based strategy game. Requiring players to seize and unite various areas of medieval England while simultaneously thwarting the efforts of Prince John and his crony the Sheriff of Nottingham. To accomplish this goal effectively, however, users will have to use a myriad of different action-oriented mini-games to carry out their tactical plans. As we originally mentioned in our lead-in, the setup is almost identical to the first Defender of the Crown and offers the same method of victory that we had before. Jousting, sword fighting, and siege attacks have been resurrected in addition to a few new areas of influence specifically incorporated to mix strategy and action as seamlessly as possible.

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In fact, it's Defender of the Crown's steady balance between these two genres that stick out as one of the game's most outstanding merits. While a good part of the strategic element involves picking what land you want to conquer and which counties need to be joined, finding the funds and manpower to do so can only be funded through raids headed up by Robin Hood. If gaining the resources by a more regal means sounds more like your modus operandi, however, then a simple talk with Ivanhoe will allow you to host jousting tournaments against every other baron in the land. Stand victorious and not only will your reputation increase, but so too will your bank account and even your property. As you can see, each type of mini-game provides different sorts of rewards, and with the unscripted nature of these contests they should never provide the same challenge twice.

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To the game's benefit these sequences are actually pretty fun -- whether you're raiding your enemy with bows or swords or challenging someone to a joust, the whole approach is pretty solid. Spoils rewarded for good performance match up well with the skill requirements for a particular challenge too; with the relatively easy bow and arrow approach providing the smallest amount of pittance and the majestic jousting ceremonies paying off the most. To be truthful jousting can be a little too hard, as the correct aiming of your lance takes hours upon hours of practice to master an intermediate-level skill. Though the simple fighting-oriented sword duels stand out as the most accessible and entertaining of all mini-games.

Of course there are other ways to gain finances as well. As the more land that you and your band of merry men has a control over, the more gold you can collect in taxes. Join together several areas that are part in the same territory and you'll enjoy bonuses for reuniting them. As your fame and reputation continue to grow, so too will the things available to you; and before long you can have the might of an entire empire under your grasp. Luckily there are several ways to earn an ultimate victory should your military efforts prove unjust. Paying to have the King ransomed out of Austria or defeating Prince John are just a few of them.

With all the elements that come into play, Defender of the Crown is overly enjoyable -- especially for fans of strategy titles who want to be able to pick up and play something without too much of a hassle. The simplified nearly turn-based battle system is easy enough to understand and has enough layers to warrant an actual stratagem despite a less than exciting presentation. While the castle-destroying siege missions you'll embark upon are cool enough to make them worth the wait that it takes to get to them.


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