Victoria II: Heart of Darkness is an expansion for the strategy game Victoria II. This expansion overhauls some of the original game's mechanics, making changes to colonization and both naval and land combat. It also adds several new elements to challenge experienced players.

New ways to conquer

In addition to refining some mechanics and parts of the interface, Heart of Darkness adds a few new elements to Victoria II. Updates about what's going on in the world now come in the form of newspapers, which combine several different kinds of report into one document. International relations are also complicated by the new crisis system, which creates small disputes that can escalate rapidly into full-scale wars.

Welcome additions

Victoria II: Heart of Darkness improves a number of troubling mechanics from the original game. It also adds new features, some of which add depth to the already-deep strategic gameplay and others of which, like the newspapers, are just fun little touches. It's well worth trying for fans of grand strategy games.