The back of the book includes a 'Souvenir quiz,' a little reminder that this guide is supposed to be educational, and an index. The guide is illustrated mostly with colored drawings, although there are a few photographs of Roman artifacts. This book for young students is nowhere as thick as a real guide book because, after all, those who read this guide are not really going to visit ancient Rome and because only somebody like me would have the patience to go through a 100-page travel guide to the past. Inside the back cover there is a pullout map of Rome, and while it does not have street names so you can find your way around the Eternal City, it will show you where you can find the major sights including all of the aforementioned places, the Imperial Palace, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column, and the Camp of the Praetorian Guard. The final pages of the guide tell you what you can find farther a field around Rome and a survival guide on what you need to know to stay on the good side of the Romans. Of course the main part of the guide is going to be devoted to things to do when in Rome and the highlights include a visit to the public baths, the theater, and the temples, but the top attractions are the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum.

Jonathan Stroud provides the young 'traveler' visiting Rome with advice on what to wear (tunics instead of togas, and the emperor has made wearing a beard fashionable), what to eat (soup, sausages, pastries), where to shop (Trajan's Market near the Forum), and where to stay (tenement buildings unless you are rich). Unit experience is a factor here, too, and your sailors will have several different types of skills they can offer.This is a nice little conceit behind 'Ancient Rome: A Guide to the Glory of Imperial Rome,' which has been put together as a Sightseers' guide to Rome in the time of Hadrian. There's also a significant naval combat element, with several different types of vessels to choose from depending on which country you are. You'll be able to choose from Great Britain, France, Russia, Prussia, or Austro-Hungary as you wage war across over 50 available scenarios taking place in North Africa, fifty-five provinces, and 29 'maritime regions,' in addition to the usual European locations. The camera was extremely fluid and the controls looked pretty intuitive-it was able to sail across the battlefield, zoom in and out, and rotate smooth as butter, even with dozens and dozens of units onscreen, buildings getting reduced to rubble, and cannon shot flying all over the place. As troops gain experience, they'll be able to form into columns, wedges, and other formations, and change from one formation to another during the battle, as needs dictate. IG also employs a fully 3D environment and adjustable, zoomable camera that allows you to get right in on the gritty 19th century action, or pull back and watch the battlefield evolve.

Imperial glory tips