Born from a time of war and an uneasy truce between Imperia and Nordagh, the gladiator games were again at the forefront of entertainment.

Into this setting two warriors emerge, one taking to the fields of battle to represent the Imperia, and the other the daughter of the Barbarian king of Nordagh.

As the story goes, Imperia (which is akin to an ancient Roman society) was marching against the nations of the world. Only one kingdom stood up to fight it - Nordagh. The battle was fierce and the Affinity gods, fearing the worse, tried to interrupt the battle with wind, and storms. But the battle raged and in the chaos and fury the Dark God was unleashed. The Affinity gods sent the Valkyrie to try to hold him back, but he was too strong. In a final attempt to contain him, the Affinity gods empowered the queen of the Valkyries, and it was through her sacrifice that the Dark God was once again contained.

But a prophecy was born that the daughter of the Barbarian king would hold the power to re-release the Dark God. To that end, on the night of the birth of the child of the Barbarian king, the witches of Nordagh gathered in his home in anticipation. But the young queen gave birth to a son, Urlan. The king, outraged by the intrusion of the witches, sent them away. No sooner had they gone that the young mother went into labor again and gave birth to a second child, a girl. The king knew he could not give the baby to the witches and so stole away into the night, hiding his family. Ursula was simply known as Urlan’s younger sister.

But still, there is that matter of the prophecy ...

Gladius, a PlayStation2 release from LucasArts, sports turn-based tactical combat in a gladiatorial setting, but the game is more than just a hack and slash.

Valens was the son the most prominent gladiator in Imperia. His father, Munio, ran one of the most successful gladiator schools in the land. But when his father was murdered, the school was thrown into complete disarray. A warrior of some repute himself, Valens teams with his childhood friend Ludo, vowing to return the school to the greatness it once knew. The path to that lays within the walls of the arena.

At the start of Gladius, players can choose to play the role of either Valens or Ursula. Midway through the game, the two will team up in the combat arena, but in the meantime, you will have the ability to work through the gladiator leagues, earning fame and skills on the way to Caltha and the main games. There are four leagues in the game - Nordagh, Imperia, the Steppes and Expanse.

To begin, you need to earn the talisman which is akin to an introduction to the leagues and allows you to enter the combats. The game uses a tier rating system for ranking schools. You begin as an amateur and work up. Winning battles will not only allow you to level but to earn job points, which can be used to purchase skills.

Throw into this mix Affinity skills, warrior classes and status effects and you begin to get an inkling of the depth of Gladius. Affinity skills are, essentially, the special attacks which can be likened to the fire, air, water and earth attributes of other games. Affinity offensive skills in air can be cancelled if the opponent is wearing Affinity air armor.

Status effects are those special weapons and attacks which can do certain damage (like poison) to a foe. Further, attacking from the side or back of an engaged warrior will do more damage. Warriors are broken down into three classes - light, medium and heavy gladiators. Ursula refers to this as a rock, parchment, shears game. Medium are stronger than the quicker light, and though slower, the heavy gladiators can dole out the most damage.

Once players have leveled a gladiator, the job points can be spent to purchase skills. You can also develop your school more with the addition of gladiators.

When it comes to the combat, players have so many squares they can move, and to attack, the target must land within the movement phase. You can also pass to gain more skill points for powerups.

The game also prods the player along in terms of building up a school. In order to advance to other leagues and tournaments, you must meet the qualifications. When you begin there are only two gladiators in your school. You must recruit others to increase the school size to compete in other tournaments and leagues, and meet qualification standards to advance. You can buy a gladiator’s contract or take them on as a temporary warrior.

The controls for Gladius are kept simple to allow players to get into the game easier. The sound does consist of some inane throw-away lines, but the musical score is well done. The graphical elements are lush and well done, and the special effects are superb, however don’t expect this game to tread new ground in any of those categories. Gladius does not stand apart from other titles in the genre in any of those areas, but what does set the game apart is the depth of play and the storyline.

This is a game that is immersive and very entertaining. It is also a mental challenge, not a reflexive one. This game does have a bevy of cutscenes, and takes a long time to explain a lot of the game play through pop-up text windows, but if you have the time to weed through all of it, you will find yourself pulled into a terrific adventure.

This game is rated Teen for blood and gore, violence and comic mischief.

Gameplay: 7.4
This game has a host of cutscenes and the text dialogue can be downright silly and redundant at times. There is a reason for it though, and if you can get through it all, you will be treated to a rich story.

Graphics: 8
The graphics are solid and the animation is smooth with strong environments. The effects are also well done. This is not a game that is stunning graphically, but it is lush and richly textured.

Sound: 7.8
The musical score is terrific, and the voice animations are well done. There is a problem with lip-synching and some of the throwaway lines (like "I will fight to the end" just before falling) can border on the silly.

Difficulty: Medium
This is an evolving game where the battles get tougher as you progress. But as you can build up your character and school, players can adjust and prepare for most of what happens throughout the course of the game.

Concept: 8.8
While the game play is not entirely original, the story and the progression make this a terrific and compelling experience. The player interface is geared to allow ease of play.

Multiplayer: 8
Two players can participate in a cooperative story mode or in a versus mode.

Overall: 8.2
Gladius is a tapestry of richly texture vignettes. The story alone is worth the price of admission. Add onto that solid turn-based tactical combat, and you have an immersive, entertaining title.