Is this gladiatorial adventure worthy of your time, or just another run-of-the-mill Roman based title better left unplayed?

For the last few years, whether it is movies, television, or games, ancient Rome and the gladiators who once battled until death within its walls have both been popular subject matter. Triggered by the highly successful film "Gladiator", it was just a matter of time before the wave of ancient Rome based titles were on their way to consumers. One of these titles is the Acclaim developed and published title Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance. With a track record as long and sketchy as Acclaim’s, was it possible for them to deliver a solid title worth checking out? The answer is yes. With an impressive and solid presentation held together by an equally interesting plot, Sword of Vengeance is worth your attention.

Story
Sword of Vengeance is not based on the popular film "Gladiator" by Ridley Scott. hHowever, after reading the synopsis for the game, anyone would be hard pressed not to believe that the developers used the film for the majority of their inspiration. In Sword of Vengeance you assume the role of Invictus Thrax, a champion gladiator who rose from a life of slavery to the life of the greatest gladiator Rome has ever seen. A favorite of the emperor of Rome, Thrax has been promised his eventual freedom. Before his freedom is granted, the emperor mysteriously dies.

Upon the death of the emperor, an evil madman named Arruntius rises to power and sets out to destroy the city of Rome and replace it by a “glorious” new city named after him. To celebrate his greatness and the destruction of Rome, Arruntius holds what promises to be the bloodiest gladiatorial event Rome has ever seen. With Thrax forced to participate in the event, he fights his way through, slaughtering all those placed before him. Having successfully overcome the challenges, Thrax is suddenly killed by an unseen force ordered by Arruntius.

After death Thrax finds himself standing in the beautiful flowing wheat fields of Elysium where he is immediately greeted by the children of Jupiter, Romulus and Remus. Informed by the children that the gods are angry with Arruntius’ rise to power and his complete disregard for the gods, they send Thrax on a mission to bring down Arruntius and restore Rome to its former glory. Thrax accepts the quest and begins his long journey to gain the necessary powers to stop Arruntius and destroy all the unholy demons in his path.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Sword of Vengeance is rather simple; essentially it is your basic hack-n-slash button masher. With that in mind, the developers have managed to create an enjoyable and rewarding gameplay experience. Controls are solid and a combo system keeps the killing always interesting. As the player progresses through the game, Thrax will find and earn additional weapons which the player can swap between at will. Players will also discover a variety of magical power-ups and weapon upgrades, giving Thrax even greater power to hack, slash, and dismember his foes.

A strong point within Sword of Vengeance comes in the form of this weapon and power-up system. While many games will just often hand the player a new weapon or power-up, Sword of Vengeance makes you work for them; and work for them you will. Throughout the levels player will find shrines which will take you to a challenge arena. Here you can earn anything from a health or power upgrade to a new weapon. Challenges are always timed and either have a goal of killing all the enemies thrown at you or destroying all of the power-up pots within the challenge arena while avoiding an unending onslaught of enemies. These challenges are fun even though some can be unbearably difficult. In the end this form of earning power-ups is a rewarding experience, giving the player a sense of accomplishment not found when a game just hands a power-up to you.