Gameplay is similar to Risk the boardgame, with more emphasis on resource management. Each player takes turns at the beginning of the game to choose territories, and once every territory has a ruler, the race to conquer the entire map begins. Waging war is limited to moving stockpiles and armies across the map, although careful planning is key to winning, since each territory has its own characteristics that can support various amounts of army and stockpiles. Planning when and where to move your resources is therefore crucial.

The game's excellent computer AI and interface, combined with other features that round off the package (such as a very versatile map editor, multiplayer options, a good variety of pre-made maps, and difficulty levels), make Lords of Conquest a must have for all fans of turn-based abstract wargames, and one of the games dying for a facelift. Too bad later conversions to 16-bit systems were mediocre at best. Two thumbs up!