In short, it's another brilliant and deep grand strategy game from Paradox! A huge improvement to the original Crusader Kings.

If you're looking to paint the whole map your flag's color and claim every land via conquest like in games like the Civilization series, you might not like this game. All conquest in this game needs to have a valid casus belli (cause for war) so you can not simply go on a mass-annexation of Europe. This is a game about living out your royal dynasty.

My suggestion, start as a count, the lowest title you can be in the game. Build your dynasty from the ground floor. Conquest your way to becoming king, peacefully work into the succession of the opposing dynasty you covet, or plot against and assassintate the royalty holding your rightful titles.

This game is certainly played differently than other strategy games I have played before but it is lots of fun and really pulls you in. Give it a try!

A very deep and complex global strategy game that uses the same game engine Europa Universalis III uses. This like Civilization games will keep you up well past your bedtime engrossed in war, empire building and victorian politics.

This is a real fun game to try if you're a fan of RTS type games. The learning curve for it can be a little more brutal than a game like the Civilization series, but once you get over that it can be a real rewarding experience. I recommend this to anyone that has wanted to play Civ V but can not because their computer is not beefy enough to handle the graphics.

To help get over the learning curve I recommend this fellow on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/EugeneofSavoy18 He has posted videos of lets plays and some tutorials up to date with the latest expansion.