Computer Games with a Spark

The Battle of Fulford, Battle of Hastings, Battle of Stamford Bridge. both are historical battles fought by a people who lived in England long ago: The Anglo-Saxons. They fiercely guarded their land, rich and powerful, from their neighbours, the Normans, as well as the fearless Vikings. In 1066, King Harold of England was confronted by two fierce armies from two different directions. Duke William of Normandy, in search of conquest, and Harald Hadrada (hard-ruler) of Norway. Nowadays we live in comfort, at least some of us, anyway, and can only dream of the battles of old. However, the rise of technology has given us the ability to enter a 'virtual world', fight to the death, and return to reality unscathed. In the game 1066, you can control an army and challenge your friends or the computer to a battle. I suggest playing in story mode; it is more interesting and you can learn a little history along the way. Show off to your parents your, ahem, limited knowledge of the war between the Anglo-Saxons and their enemies. In the game, you will be asked to play mini games to give your army that winning edge. The hardest, for me, is angling the archers' bows just right to achieve 'brutal shots' upon the enemy. Having said that, I enjoyed planning the army's movements and participating in the mini-games. It's almost like chess; except more brutal and life-like. If you have younger siblings, please keep the sound off or you will find them suffering from nightmares. I learnt battle strategy and tactics that I shall probably never use ever again, but I have learnt something interesting and maybe even useful; An army's self-confidence, or anyone's, for that matter, is very important. Should anyone manage to break another's self-confidence, that someone is lost. Not material-wise, but it will be like a candle with no flame. If the army loses hope, they are likely to turn tail and run. An important rule for future politicians; encourage your followers frequently. In case you are wondering, The Battle of Hastings is just one battle in the war for the English throne. In it, the Anglo-Saxon army have just won a victory against the Vikings, which have admitted defeat and escaped back to Norway. However, they have also marched 250 miles to meet their other enemy, the Normans,headed by Duke William. Although they put up a great fight, they are eventually defeated by a series of trick retreats, in which the Saxons thought the Normans were running away, and so pursued them, only to be massacred when the cavalry did an about-turn. It was during one of these charges that Harold of England was killed, and upon seeing their brave king dead, the Saxons quickly surrendered. i believe this game is an interesting learning experience because it's like experiencing the battle yourself, with all the bloodshed and cries of pain and surprise. You see how horrible it must have been to be one of the men, the be scared just before battle and during the fight. This game has quite violent tendencies; don't say I didn't warn you. As I said before, KEEP THE SOUND EFFECTS OFF. I really is horrible to hear those sound effects and your parents will come and assassinate me for encouraging you to play such a violent game.