Rome: Total War covers the years 270 BC to 14 AD, while the Barbarian Invasion expansion pack takes you from 363 to 476 AD, with an option to continue through 1453, when the remnants of the Eastern Roman Empire, known as the Byzantine Empire, finally fell to invaders. In addition to the campaign found in each game, you can set up custom battles between various factions as well as head online and test out your strategies against live opponents.

Rome: Total War also lets you choose from many historical battles, allowing you to jump straight into some of the most important events in the Roman Empire’s development. While the main game is a turn-based one reminiscent of the Civilization series, battles are real-time strategy affairs that require you to constantly keep an eye on ever-changing conditions.

Simpson notes that the artificial intelligence used in battles is based on an existing engine, but, he says, “with the campaign AI, we started from scratch due to the radical change in going from the Risk-style map used in previous Total War games to the 3D map introduced in Rome: Total War.” Multiple difficulty levels allow you to take on computer opponents who range in ability from foolhardy to devious.

The historical battles found in Rome: Total War and Barbarian Invasion include:

• The Battle of Asculum (279 BC): King Pyrrhus, related to Alexander the Great on his mother’s side of the family, decides to follow in his famous relative’s footsteps by conquering all the territory he can. After being asked for help dealing with “barbarians” on the Italian peninsula, Pyrrhus engages in an epic clash with the Romans that one day leads to the coining of the word “pyrrhic.”
• The Siege of Sparta (272 BC): The city-state of Sparta is in decline by the time King Pyrrhus, bruised by his costly pyrrhic victories against the Romans several years earlier, decides to try to conquer it.
• The Battle of Telamon (225 BC): When an alliance of Gallic tribes and mercenaries enter northern Italy, the Romans marshal all of their forces to drive out the invaders and finally secure the entire peninsula.
• Battle of the River Trebia (218 BC): Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca brings an entire army, complete with elephants, into northern Italy with the intent of sacking Rome. He meets Roman forces at the River Trebia in the dead of winter, determined to strike a killing blow in the long-simmering hostilities between two rising powers.
• The Battle of Lake Trasimene (217 BC): As the early Romans begin to establish control of the Italian peninsula, they again come into conflict with Hannibal and his mighty Carthaginian army, which descends on Lake Trasimene for another key battle.
• The Battle of Raphia (217 BC): Another of Alexander the Great’s descendants, Antiochus III of the Seleucids, goes to war against the Egyptians, whose new king, Ptolemy IV, is not well-liked. When some of Ptolemy IV’s generals and governors defect to the Seleucids, the resulting tensions lead to a battle near the small town of Raphia.
• The Battle of Cynocephalae (197 BC): Determined to secure their territory after defeating Carthage, the Romans turn their attention to former Carthaginian ally Philip of Macedon. They invade Greece to confront him.

• The Battle of Carrhae (55 BC): Licinius Crassus, one of Julius Casear’s rivals, feels the need to prove his mettle by conquering Parthia, which is now part of modern-day Iran. He gets in over his head, but perhaps you can alter the course of history for a man who was at the time one of the richest in the world.
• The Siege of Gergovia (52 BC): The Gauls prove troublesome yet again, this time for Julius Caesar. A Gallic revolt in 54 BC eventually leads to a decisive siege at a hilltop fort known as Gergovia.
• The Battle of Teutoburg Forest (9 AD): Roman Emperor Augustus decides that the Germanic tribes to the north should be persuaded to become civilized and add to his tax base. The Germans feel otherwise, however, and make their feelings known to their Roman governor, Quinctilius Varus, and the soldiers he brings with him.
• The Battle of Chalons (451 AD): Roman general Flavius Aetius of the Western Roman Empire joins forces with former enemy King Theoderic of the Visigoths to repel the invading Attila and his Huns. Unfortunately for its citizens, the Western Roman Empire does not possess the financial means to simply pay the Huns to stay away, as its Eastern cousin does.
• The Battle of Badon Hill (516 AD): The Barbarian Invasion expansion pack strays from established history for this fictional encounter, in which the Romano-British warlord Artorius Castus — the likely inspiration for the King Arthur legend — defends Britain against invading Saxons. Castus is joined by an ally, Lord Amalric, who lends his forces to the battle.

Stumped? Then you may need some help, thanks to the cheat codes that are commonly placed in most videogames. They allow you to, well, cheat and change the rules. This sometimes includes activating bonuses, unlocking secrets, and gaining access to new levels of gameplay.

To enable the cheats in Rome: Total War or Barbarian Invasion, make sure you check the box next to “Activate RomeShell” in the Advanced tab of the dialog window that appears when you launch the game. While playing, press the tilde (~) key to bring up the console.