EU III Chronicles is a truly great strategy game, though it's showing its age a little when compared with some of Paradox's newer strategy games. The expansion packs included in the Chronicles edition are an absolute MUST HAVE, and add an incredible amount of detail to the western nations of the game. The only issues i have with EU III are that picking a non-major power is rather boring, and if you pick a non-Western nation that isn't huge, you can expect an incredibly tedious experience. I suppose the clue is in the name (EUROPA), but besides Japan which has been fleshed out with the Divine Wind expansion, non-Western nations are completely bland, and receive all of their events as direct copy + pastes from the Western nations. It's still a great game, but i'd have liked to have been able to play, say, a Native American nation without having to spend just over half the game doing absolutely nothing at all.

Europa Universalis III is a historical empire management game. If you are into statistics and really just numbers and some facts then this game is perfect for you. The Scenarios in the games are very interesting and the mechanics of the game flow fluently. The graphics are quite good and the gameplay is quite sufficient. However in my opinion although the Paradox has released a good game it is really boring. Just to tedious just reading numbers doing statistics. It is alright in the first 20 mins but then it just gets really boring. For some it might be engaging but however if you into some action not just stats I would suggest getting the Sid Meier's Civilization series. At least in Sid Meier's its more engaging and is visually captivating than Europa Universalis. For me this game is good in its way but is really tedious after awhile with the amount of data you have to read but for some Europa Universalis might be the game for you with its detail.

For fans of the series and newcomers alike, this includes all the expansions to the original Europa Universalis III, so it's available in one convenient package. However, newcomers should beware, as the game has a very steep learning curve to it. The tutorials alone will not do enough to explain the mechanics and you'll most likely seek out help from other sites on how to play the game. But don't let that scare you away. This mixture of Real-Time/Turn-Based strategy is not only one of the most complex games of the genre, it's also one of the most rewarding. The freedom to pursue your own goals, even if it's just keeping your country afloat or conquering the world, and the means by which you can achieve those tasks are mind-boggling. The game has so many options that it'll take several playthroughs to experience them all. This is certainly a game that will keep you entertained for a long while.

Never buy a Paradox game on release. It will be bug-ridden and half-broken. But after a while, when it's all patched, fixed and good to go, it's one step away from perfect. EU III is not an exception. Maybe it's just me, but the whole map-painting thing, all these wars and politics, colonization and trade, it's just so interesting and...I don't even know. Over the last two weeks, 3 days of pure time I was playing this game. Although I fail miserably every time I set the difficulty beyond Easy (or Normal, in case I'm playing as a big European nation), it's still a challenging and engaging game. When the dice rolls bad for you - your king is a total idiot, your navies are destroyed in a storm, your genius heir dies, comets start appearing every single month - you don't really want just to save/load - you'd want to make your way out. There's never been a better map painting simulator.

If you enjoy historical simulation games, this game is right for you. You take control of any country in the world during the span of 1399 to 1821, and try to make it flourish. Have your country grow by taking land from neighboring countries or make alliances that will last through the ages. You can even make trade leagues or start crusades against different religions. And to crown it off, you have an excellent soundtrack while you play. It's a must buy for any simulation fan.