The summer months of (next to) no news on the N-Gage is slowly drawing to a close. The titles for the winter season of game releases are starting to do the rounds, so naturally it’s time to look at what you could be deciding to buy in the next few months. First up is High Seize.

Coming from Red Lynx (who are the team behind Pathway to Glory and its sequel), the fact that High Seize is a turn-based strategy should come as no surprise. So why choose this over Pathway to Glory? First of all is the playing area. It’s a strict square grid, with every unit the same size. Secondly, the fighting attributes of each unit are all on display – the number of squares, the range, the power of attack and defence, etc. All this makes for a game with slightly less ‘real’ tactics and movement compared to PtG, but conversely it’s much more accessible and easy to get into, easier to understand and make up your own tactics, and generally get proficient in strategy war games.

There’s a continuous story line running through the game, as with most N-Gage titles, but unlike most N-Gage titles, this one actually makes sense. There are a huge number of possible scenarios and ways to play, such as kill enough boats to escape, destroy a specific fortification, overwhelm a village, etc. The story reflects that as you hire a Pirate ship, cruise around the seas chasing other pirates with treasure maps, clues to your father’s jailer, and other stirring Errol Flynn stuff.

High Seize plays very nicely, the key layout is well thought out, and right now it’s gripping me in the same way as the original Pathway to Glory did. It’s expected out in Q4 2005.