World Empire is a turn-based strategy

Turn-based strategy

A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...

 personal computer game

Personal computer game

A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...

 originally published in 1991 by Viable Software Alternatives. Risk

Risk (game)

Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...

is similar to this game in that players compete to conquer the Earth

Hegemony

Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...

 country by country through military force.

Release history

World Empire was originally released for DOS

DOS

DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...

. It featured 16-colour EGA

EGA

EGA may stand for*EGA: estimated gestational age, medical*Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, the emblem of the United States Marine Corps*Egyptian German Automotive Company, the Mercedes-Benz manufacturer in Egypt*Elegant Gothic Aristocrat, a fashion line...

 graphics and a classical music

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

al score played through the PC speaker

PC speaker

A PC speaker is a loudspeaker, built into some IBM PC compatible computers. The first IBM Personal Computer, model 5150, employed a standard 2.25 inch magnetic driven speaker. More recent computers use a piezoelectric speaker instead. The speaker allows software and firmware to provide...

. Later versions were released for Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

 and include full-colour graphics and MIDI music. All versions are shareware

Shareware

The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...

.

Version	OS	Release date
World Empire	DOS	1991
World Empire II	Windows 3.x	1992
World Empire III	Windows 3.x	1994
World Empire IV	Windows 3.x	1996
World Empire V	Windows 95	2003

Gameplay

Each player is controlled by either a human or by the computer; recent versions of the game have included the option of network play. At the beginning of the game, the players choose a unique political ideology, select or are assigned a flag and a home country, and are given the same number of armies. Each country on the map is assigned a political ideology. Players then take turns during which they attack neighbouring countries and, if successful, occupy them with some of their armies. If the occupied country's political ideology matches that of the player, then only one occupying army is required; otherwise, the game informs the player how many more occupying armies are required. If the player fails to maintain the minimum number of occupying armies in a country, the country may revolt and switch allegiances to another player. A player can end his turn at any time, and usually does so when he has no further armies with which to attack. At the beginning of each turn other than the first, the player receives a number of armies calculated from the number of countries he holds, plus a bonus if he controls entire continents.

The game ends once one player has occupied all his opponents' countries, or when all his opponents have surrendered.

Critical reception

The game was favourably reviewed in PC Plus

PC Plus

PC Plus is a Computer magazine published monthly since 1986 in the UK by Future Publishing. The magazine is aimed at intermediate to advanced PC users, computer professionals and enthusiasts. The magazine is specifically for users of PCs and related technologies, so features articles are...

, Computer Shopper

Computer Shopper

Computer Shopper could refer to the following publications:* Computer Shopper - a home computer magazine published in the United Kingdom* Computer Shopper - a home computer magazine published in the United States...

, Windows User, and Computer Gaming World

Computer Gaming World

Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...

. World Empire III won 1995's Best Shareware Strategy Game Award from Ziff-Davis and Computer Gaming World.