The developers of Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans have found the right balance between education and entertainment.
Gamers, who can play with up to three friends in multi-player mode, can learn ancient history in a fun and enjoyable way. They take on the role of a young gladiator who has to work his way up the ranks by learning fighting techniques and defeating opponents in the Colosseum in Rome.
There's no Street Fighter action or button-mashing madness for those who are hoping to go all Russell Crowe on some poor, defenceless tigers, like in the movie Gladiator.
Training and fights are presented as mini games. They are similar to those you would find in a puzzle and games magazine. What gamers can look forward to are 'Spot the difference between the pictures', 'Find and match pairs of pictures', and 'Colour in the picture'. And just to make the game a little more intellectual, there's a multiple-choice quiz section.
Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans is littered with a number of trivia pillars. Each one features five fun facts about the Ruthless Romans, ranging from the amusing to the bizarre. Funny trivia include the Poet Ovidi saying gladiator arenas were a good place to meet people and Emperor Caligula complaining about the Colosseum's strong foundations. The emperor thinks it would be interesting to watch the buildings collapse, killing a lot of people.
This is a game that does its job - making a boring school subject fun, interesting and enjoyable. The 30-plus mini-games may be very simple but they are well-presented and will make any journey - whether it is an MTR ride to school or a long airline flight - pass by a lot quicker.