Cradle of Rome review

Who knew Rome was built with sliding tiles?

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Some degree of strategy

  • +

    Unusual puzzle premise

  • +

    Decent controls

Cons

  • -

    Murky graphics

  • -

    Feels sluggish

  • -

    Not much depth

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Generations of Latin scholars could have been saved the pain of learning about Roman emperors’ military endeavors and political machinations had history followed the path of Cradle of Rome. In the game, the mighty ancient city is constructed via the collection of food, resources and cash in a tile-sliding puzzle. No bloodshed, no diplomatic wrangling, just lots of tiny tiles with pictures of coins, ham or logs on them. There is a degree of strategy, as certain amounts of money or food are needed for each item, so as well as clearing the grid you’re trying to do so by matching more coins than ham, for instance. But the graphics are murky and the whole thing feels sluggish. Save your sesterces (Roman coins, as any of those Latin scholars will tell you) for something else.

Nov 19, 2008

More info

GenrePuzzle
DescriptionA pretty bare bones tile sliding puzzle affair. Nothing wrong with it, but you can find too many similar to it on DS. 
Platform"DS"
US censor rating"Everyone"
UK censor rating"Rating Pending"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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