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Applelinks recently posted a new review of The WarChiefs, an expansion for the real time strategy game, Age of Empires III. The expansion further expands the depth of AoE III with a roster of new features including playable Native American civilizations, A 15 mission single-player campaign, and a host of other updates and additions. Applelinks gave The WarChiefs a score of 4 out of 5.

Included in the expansion pack is a full set of military attributes for three tribes: Aztec, Iroquois and Sioux. As these groups can show up as friends or foes depending on the scenario and in the random maps, it helps to know some of their more unusual weapons. Among my favorite is the Iroquois mantlet; essentially, it is two guys behind a sandwich board made of thick branches. In practice, it is frustratingly hard to kill and not nearly as innocuous as it sounds.

More important attributes for your own village come with the expansion pack. Your alliances with the native people yield advancements in your abilities to harvest the natural resources, especially wood and wild food sources. Also, some advancements allow you to spontaneously generate needed resources for a period of time. If you are a "store, then conquer" kind of player, these can be used to your advantage early in the game. "Nick of time" players who immediately set out to build a conquering army might find these useful during a large attack.

Another major development in The War Chiefs is the introduction of the Fire Pit. Don't tell Hale or Danforth, but it's not only Tituba dancing around the fire. Teach your villagers the dances, much like you would encourage them to work at the mill or to harvest sheep, and you will be rewarded with military powers such as increased attack strength, or with additional soldiers.

Applelinks: AoE III The WarChiefs Review

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Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs

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