Centurion: Defender of Rome

A classic game.
This game took up many of my hours on the Sega genesis. It can be frustratingly hard to get into, but once you learn what formations are best against the enemies the game can get very deep. Always keeping an eye on you flanking enemies, and know what kind of troops to use, troop types range from foot solders, Calvary , and even elephant troops. Battles are done by issuing formations, orders such as sweep left or right, you have no direct control once the battles begin but you are able to try and rally solders that may be fleeing, one strategy is to try and break through the enemies line and defeat their commander, armies that lose their commander are much more likely to flee.

Just remember that the same hold true for you, defend your commander and all should be fine with a few place battle cries to raise moral of your troops.
One of the soundest strategies is to expand north and then once the world opens up to you head to the west and take the costal countries and then move inward so that you have one flat front moving east so that you can have the fewest countries open to be attacked.
Ships are not a real necessity until late game when you are finishing up, they can help move units faster but in the beginning the money are better used to get more troops and bolster you defence while you establish your front and gain more income.
There are a few mini games that will keep you occupied for a while, and one you a bit of money to spend you can get the hang of chariot racing and make a lot of money that way if you have the time for it, rather than going for the heavy chariot and trying to survive everything get the medium sized one so that you can take some hits but out pace the competition.
One of the most frustrating parts of the game is dealing with your countries moral, if taxes are too high, or people are left idle for too long they will start to become rebellious and eventually the area will rebel, causing you to have to retake that area, wasting more recourses.
A great game overall, if you take the time to learn unit types and formations and use a slow methodical approach to concerning the map you will have a great time. Don’t get frustrated right away and you will be very satisfied with this game