Call to Power II

About

Call to Power II is a turn-based strategy game, where players control a civilization and must guide it through technological advancements, diplomatic relations, and military conquest. The game features various historical civilizations, each with unique strengths, weaknesses, and units. Players must manage resources, research new technologies, and navigate international politics to achieve global domination.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 79 reviews

atmosphere1 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic experience for those who played it in their youth, with many players enjoying the macro-management gameplay and unique combat system.
Despite its age, the game has charming graphics and a vibrant color palette that some players find appealing.
With the right mods and adjustments, players can rediscover the fun and depth of the game, especially in the late game where new mechanics and units are introduced.

The game is plagued by numerous technical issues, including crashes, unresponsive controls, and lack of music, making it difficult to play on modern systems without extensive modifications.
Many players are disappointed by the removal of features from the original game, such as the space layer, which significantly impacted their enjoyment.
The user interface is considered clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration during gameplay, especially for new players unfamiliar with the mechanics.

music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The music in the game has been widely criticized for being either non-functional or bugged on modern systems, leading to a frustrating experience for many players. While some users appreciate the original orchestral soundtrack, they note that it is often inaccessible without mods or workarounds. Overall, the absence of music significantly impacts the game's atmosphere, despite its nostalgic graphics and gameplay.
- “While the missing music is a bit of a bummer, it doesn't detract from the fantastic gameplay and atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack is nice, the graphics aged rather well with very detailed units and a good looking map.”
- “The music is an original orchestral soundtrack, and it is quite good but short, because of limited space on a 700 MB CD.”
- “The music won't play and the options menu won't save your selections, so you will need to go over them each time you run the game.”
- “This game not only lacks music on Steam, but the controls are unplayable.”
- “If you can boot it (I had no problems with a Windows 10 laptop, but others seem to have issues), you'll find the game lacks its original soundtrack--and more disturbing, the tech tree help/graphic is missing.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The graphics of the game are generally viewed as outdated, with many reviewers noting that they reflect a 2000s aesthetic and have not aged particularly well, especially at higher resolutions like 1080p. While some appreciate the detailed units and charming visuals, others criticize the lack of modern graphical options and compatibility issues with current operating systems, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Overall, the graphics are seen as a nostalgic nod to the past, but they fall short of contemporary standards.
- “The soundtrack is nice, the graphics have aged rather well with very detailed units and a good-looking map.”
- “The graphics are charming and very 2000s, and so is the music.”
- “It's like playing Civ II, but with slightly better graphics.”
- “Game flow and graphics are outdated.”
- “As for the graphics, maybe you should take it with a grain of salt considering it's an old game, but ultimately I feel the need to express that it looks horrendous on a 1080p resolution as this wasn't so much the case on the original.”
- “Besides, when it came to options within the game, I would have expected some improvement towards graphic settings, but the most you can manage is turn off certain effects in the game and change your resolution, which is very disappointing.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Gameplay is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the nostalgic elements and late-game mechanics like ocean colonization, while others criticize the slow pace and technical issues that hinder performance on modern systems. The game offers a unique macromanagement style, differing from typical civilization games, but its choppy execution and less intuitive HUD can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, many still find the gameplay engaging and recommend it for its enduring appeal.
- “The added element of ocean colonization in late game, and overall the late game new mechanics are fantastic.”
- “Yes, I would definitely recommend this game to a friend because despite the fact that this game was released in 2000, it still holds up really well to this day and age. Its gameplay is pretty good, the in-game videos for the wonders of the world are really good, it never gets too boring or too tiring, and you can definitely play this one for quite a good amount of time.”
- “Without worker units, gameplay is macromanagement compared to Firaxis' micromanagement.”
- “Software was not altered or modified at all to function in newer operating system environments, and as such, there are several issues that hinder gameplay.”
- “From a gameplay perspective, it's way too slow.”
- “It is slow and choppy, does not work at a suitable framerate, the HUD is somewhat similar to the prior game, and had I not had some prior knowledge of how it worked, I would have deemed it just as intuitive as the gameplay.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of glitches, bugs, and loading issues, particularly after the intro sequence. Many users feel that it was released in an unfinished state, and support for the game has since been abandoned, contributing to its overall poor stability.
- “Has some glitches and has now stopped loading after the intro sequence.”
- “The game is buggy, massively buggy.”
- “The game was released content unfinished and very buggy for its time, support was quickly dropped, and the development team was dissolved.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Reviewers highlight that the game's macro-scale focus enhances its replayability, allowing players to manage larger empires without the tedious micro-management often found in similar titles. This design choice makes it more accessible and enjoyable for repeated playthroughs.
- “Unlike Civ games, it focuses on macro-scale elements, so there's no micromanaging workers in cities. This makes it infinitely more enjoyable when you have a larger empire, which the game emphasizes.”
- “The variety of strategies and paths you can take in each playthrough keeps the game fresh and engaging, encouraging multiple runs.”
- “With different factions and unique abilities, every playthrough feels distinct, offering a new experience each time.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices in different playthroughs, making it feel repetitive after the first run.”
- “Once you've experienced the main storyline, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
- “The limited variety in missions and objectives means that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game requires adjustments to run smoothly on modern PCs, and users have reported performance issues, particularly with the Steam version, indicating that it feels outdated overall.
- “It just requires some adjustments to run smoothly on modern PCs.”
- “There are performance problems with the Steam version, and in general, this game is of course no longer up to date.”
- “There are performance problems with the Steam version, and in general, this game is no longer up to date.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Even on high-end systems, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, which is disappointing.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its engaging qualities, although some users note that the absence of music is a slight drawback. Overall, the gameplay experience remains strong and immersive.
- “While the missing music is a bit of a bummer, it doesn't detract from the fantastic gameplay and atmosphere.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be addictive, particularly for fans of toy soldiers, but it can also become tedious at times.
- “For all who enjoy playing with toy soldiers: addictive, but sometimes tedious.”
- “The grinding feels endless and often detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which quickly became monotonous.”

90%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews

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Call To Power II

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