Romance of the 3 Kingdoms XI [import] - hands-on

The Wii version doesn’t use the Wii remote for the pointer, which is strange. So you’re stuck with the same roving eight-direction cursor as in the PS2 version. Nunchuk swings are half-heartedly used to select moves in officer battles - the horseback duels that are RotTK XI’s mild concession to modern day 3D gaming - but that’s it.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI is shaping up to be a strategy game you can really get your teeth into. Watching your little teams of painstakingly chosen troops blaze a trail across ancient China - an ancient China that changes weather with the seasons, no less - is pretty cool. And, as in SimCity and co, keeping all your plates spinning at once - maintaining food supplies, marrying off your officers, setting traps, destroying the odd dam - makes you feel like some kind of computer-brained genius. But be aware: you can also come away feeling very stupid indeed. Look for a review soon.