Age of Sparta is developer Gameloft's vision of what a mobile military strategy game should look like. Set in ancient Greece, it offers many challenges through simple and yet deep gameplay. Are you ready to take on some Persians?

War against the Persians

Age of Sparta takes place in a well known period of history - the Greco-Persian Wars. You take the role of a Spartan ruler, with the task of building up your city to be as strong as possible so you can take to the battlefield and terrorize your enemies. The game is divided into two very recognizable areas - managing your territory and fighting wars.

Managing your territory in Age of Sparta is similar to other strategy games like Game of War - Fire Age (which is set in Imperial Rome). First you start with a tiny territory with only a few buildings, which you aim to grow into an invincible city.

You create buildings to generate resources, or money, or other things like training your troops. You have to combine different types of buildings smartly, to have a well balanced city that generates enough money to continue to grow your city while building up an army.

Bored of building? It's time to break stuff in Age of Sparta's military campaigns, where you take your troops off to battle. You can do this in single player mode, against the Persians, or against other players online. Both will earn you experience points that allow you to level up and improve your global ranking. You shouldn't ignore online play, either, as beating real players will earn you special points that you need to buy certain buildings and troops.

History mixed with fantasy

While Age of Sparta's gameplay is very similar to Game of War in terms of gameplay and graphics, it's a more streamlined game that isn't drowning in options. The construction part is extremely easy to play, and has some nice advantages over other similar games - like allowing you to move buildings around without losing points, money or time.

The combat is a mix of passive and active gameplay. You have to choose the best mix of troops for a particular battle before it begins, as well as enable certain special events to happen while it's taking place. Then just sit back and watch the battle play out - if you planned well, you will be victorious.

Although inspired by the real history of Sparta, the game also mixes in some mythology, like Olympian gods or magical troops like the Gorgon. This makes Age of Sparta less 'serious' than games like Total War.

Strategy for everyone

With Age of Sparta, Gameloft has created a game that is lighter than much of the competition, which will make it easier to get into for most people. It's definitely entertaining, and despite being a free to play game, you can play for a long time without feeling the need to shell out to improve your chances.