Spartan: Total Warrior aims to recreate the frenized battles of ancient times. Its

emphasis is on large armies engaging in bloody hand-to-hand combat, and from what I

saw on the show floor it looks to deliver on that promise.

The demo takes place in a colosseum-type structure. With the camera placed behind the

back of your Spartan warrior, you get a good look at the opposing army in the distance.

The round begins as your enemies charge en masse and all hell breaks loose. The goal in each round is to win the "Great Encounter", a confrontation with the enemy leader. It seems to be advantageous to win this battle as quickly as possible, since the enemy leaders take out a disproportionate number of your men, due to their immense strength. I made it to the third round, where the enemies got pretty tough.

Your weapon starts off as a sword and shield. You can perform a "Rage" move with your

sword, which, for the level I played, is a bolt of lightning, coming down from the sky

to electrocute multiple enemies. You can also bash enemies with your shield or pick

up Fire Arrows as an alternate weapon, and knock over kettles of burning oil to set

enemies on fire. If you aren't careful you can set yourself on fire, forcing you

to roll around on the ground to put yourself out. You can also pray at an altar to regain strength during battle.

Even though the game seems to be set in Ancient Rome, not all of your enemies are soldiers from the era. There are also giant ogre-like creatures capable of taking out several men at a time. They're tough, but can be brought down as long as you keep hacking away at them.

This game's style reminds me of God of War on PS2, especially the all-out fighting that

prompts you to go crazy on enemies. Like God of War, you're awarded "Carnage" bonuses

for hitting enemies multiple times or using particularly bloodthirsty attacks. Graphics

are fluid, never dropping in framerate, despite routinely having thirty to forty characters on-screen at any one time. Spartan: Total Warrior has the basic

foundation for a very satisfying game experience. It will be interesting to see

what Creative Assembly builds on top of it.