There are few boys, and likely some girls, too, that aren’t attracted to the idea of building a castle. Developers Firefly came to this very same conclusion with the original Stronghold which, although not a perfect game, was the closest we came to reliving our sandpit glory days. Firefly did a fantastic job of figuring out what made castles so fascinating, and delivered a comprehensive package on all fronts: castle building, sieges and medieval city management.

 The sequel adds to this package in every way, and it’s all wrapped up in a 3D paint job.The 3D engine isn’t just eye-candy, however. Castle building is a more organic process, where your walls will now hug the rolling terrain as it winds around your territory.You can also zoom around your walls, showing every possible angle to view your master work.

 Additionally, the strategic model that we were so fond of in the original is bigger and better. Managing your castle is a complex affair and keeping your people happy and productive is a balancing act of the many resources now available.The map is also divided up into estates, where you can control lesser towns and villages and funnel resources from these outlying territories.

 Unfortunately, there are shortcomings that prevent this from getting the credit it deserves.The AI is atrocious in parts, meaning you’ll want to play against your friends after you’ve bested the singleplayer campaigns.

 The absence of roll-over mouse help is also a big oversight for a game that features an incredible amount of complexity. But, these issues aside, this is still the best castle-builder out there, with one of the most impressive city management models around.