While the Wii's catalog of games continues to grow, most of its offerings are - to put it nicely - shovelware. While there is the occasional gem to discover, a glut of games released for Nintendo's "Revolution" are indeed throwaways, as has become expected for the leading platform. That's why I am ever-appreciative of WiiWare titles that dare to break boundaries and provide entertaining gameplay experiences beyond that of iffy waggle controls. Swords and Soldiers, a real-time strategy (RTS) release for the console's downloadable WiiWare service from Romino Games, has come along and satiated my hunger for gaming with substance on the Wii.  

At first glance, you might assume this game to be somewhat childish fare. This isn't the case at all, as underneath its sugarcoated exterior lies some truly invigorating RTS-lite fun. While you may be familiar with the genre already, Swords and Soldiers turns what you know on its head and updates the conventions with flair all its own. You'll be collecting various resources in order to create new units, buildings, and whatnot, just like this game's bigger brethren. What Swords and Soldiers does is take away a bit of the confusion that usually accompanies RTS titles in the ridiculous amount of farming and types of items there are to receive or create. There is only one resource you'll need to worry about - gold. Gold is the end-all and be-all of Swords and Soldiers, so as long as you can make that, you'll be good to go. 

Each of the three groups available to choose from are saddled with only a few units. You can side with the Vikings, the Aztecs, or the Chinese when beginning, which simplifies things even further. Going with the Vikings ensures that you're all-powerful and stronger than your enemies. A Chinese alliance grants a focus in magical spells and abilities with which to thwart your competition, and the Aztecs call upon the power of the afterworld, raising the undead and harnessing the power of dark magic and necromancy in order to wipe out anyone who dares stand in their way. Choosing the correct faction is often the key to victory, though you have no real direct control over your men once they're send out to tackle a job. This is remedied via picking out an effective mix of fighters to send out in battle. Often, you will not know what you're up against, and if you happen upon the equivalents of boss character units, you'll be wishing you had planned ahead a bit better.

Of course, like any RTS true to its roots you'll need to make use of individual units' specialties and abilities. This is done via usage of the Wii remote and is the one real aspect you have complete control over. You simply point and click with the remote at which spell you want to use, then aim toward the corresponding enemy. This is where fiddly Wii controls hinder your experience just a tad. It's often unresponsive and tough to pick out the correct enemies from a crowd when there's a lot going on onscreen. However, this is of minor importance since the motion controls work so well most of the time. 

You'll want to spend most of  your time within Swords and Soldiers' campaign mode, which is where most of the meat of the gameplay occurs. Each faction receives its own different set of missions in order to extend playtime, which is an admirable move. Because of this, the game should take a good 8-10 hours to complete depending on how well you pick up the controls and the general feel of the game. I have not yet completed the Viking campaign, though I'm trying my darnedest! 

Swords and Soldiers may seem serious at some points with its focus on battle and the many different ways you're to carry out several missions, but it's firmly grounded in the lighthearted and fun mentality that we have come to know the Wii for. Your fighters themselves are cute caricatures of the fearsome soldiers they mimic, and the color scheme invariably will put a smile on your face. You'll also find it hard to escape laughing at some of the quotes your factions will spit out.  You'll delight in the wonderment and variety the game provides, with its whimsical approach to RTS titles.

We're sorely lacking that sense of true fun and interesting environments these days, especially in the growing world of console real-time strategy titles. While I enjoy commanding armies and soldiers for many of the grim causes as much as the next person, sometimes life calls for a game that will put a smile on your face and a skip in your step. With lighthearted yet highly strategic action, Swords and Soldiers really hits the mark, and that's reason to celebrate. I’m glad to say that it’s a contender for one of the top WiiWare games currently available, and with so many stellar titles on the platform that's pretty good company to be in.