This is one of the greatest 4X RTS games ever made, and holds up wonderfully to this day, supporting 1920x1080 native resolution and seems to work well with the latest versions of Windows and Nvidia GeForce, though I can't speak for other graphics cards or systems.

The graphics are still surprisingly good, while units lack fine details zoomed in, zoomed out after ten years this game could still pass as modern.

It has up to six playable races all of which have unique units and unique strengths and weaknesses, and it also has five factions each with their own units and distinct strengths and weaknesses.

The random map generator allows each match to be played on a new map, and on the largest map setting matches can last for hours or through multiple play sessions.

The largest map setting supports up to 8 players, against the AI this can allow for multi-front wars, making the game truly challenging. Popular mods expand the map size and number of players even further, and there are also popular AI tweak mods. Kohan 2 is perhaps best played as a skirmish game.

Unfortunately despite being a ground breaking technical achievement unlike any other RTS ever made, Kohan 2 was released practically unannounced two days before the release of Rome Total War, which was simply impossible to compete against. It also had a terrible reception among hardcore fans of the original Kohan, who had some legitimate reasons to be upset.

However, taken as a stand alone game and in it's current state this game is well worth picking up. It's a 4X Masterpiece unlike any other and it holds up well to this day. It's one of the best games you could ever spend $9 on if you like 4X Strategy Games or Fantasy RTS games.

I highly recommend it.

I also highly recommend the Flexible Support Units mod, as it makes the game more challenging, and allows more tactical flexibility. Check out the link for mods.
http://www.gamefront.com/files/listing/pub2/Kohan_II_Kings_of_War/Modifications/

Classic RTS of another era. The graphics show its age, but the originality of the title still shines through. Unlike most RTS games where single units are recruited, in Kohan you recruit companies make up of a variety of frontline, flank and support units, which offers a level of customization in its thousands of variations that you don't see in any other RTS game. Flanking attacks and finding defensible terrain are keys to victory, and breaking your enemy's units morale can turn the tide of battle.

On the downside, it requires a certain level of micromanagement, and if you don't keep an eye on your troops battles often become a cluster♥♥♥♥. Its resource system is also firmly in the early 2000s with multiple resources but only one that really matters. Gold is the only resource that one can have a stockpile of, and thus the management of other resources is to ideally have a minimum deficit with no surplus so that they do not impact your gold income. Still, it's a fun game and the ability to integrate independent towns and creeps into your army is something we're only very recently seeing come back in strategy games.

Kohan II is one of the most underrated Real Time Strategy games of all time. Actually the Kohan series in its entirety is – it has a few components that are not truly replicated by any other current or past RTS games. These are: simplified base/town management that allows town/settlement specialization, regimentation creation and customization, and simple, intuitive formations that greatly affect combat effectiveness and gameplay. These elements make Kohan a unique and fantastic addition to any RTS player’s library. If you were to mesh Warcraft with Rome: Total War you would end up with Kohan. The game no longer has a huge online community but is certainly worth your $20.

Alright, let's tackle Kohan II.

By now, this game is pretty old but that's never bothered me for any game as long as it still runs – which it does. The music is pleasant, the graphics are still fine for me and resolution scales to 1920x1080. You have a number of different possible civilizations all with their unique personalities and playstyles. Despite its comically stiff voice acting, it's competitive in terms of real RTS elements and functionality.

Why is it still one of my favourites after all this time? Because it, like most games I really like, has something that none of the other ones do. In this case, it's tactics. Most especially at high levels, this game behaves completely different in terms of strategy because you have to be comfortable losing bases and relocating from place to place and rolling with the punches. This is unusual and enjoyable because of it, because when we take traditional Age of ___ titles or Command and Conquer titles, their gameplay is always built on having a single impenetrable base and zero to several forward bases. Therefore the goal is to destroy your opponent's super base and they lose. You always know where they are coming from and going to. Not here.

In Kohan II, your line of sight is very short and you have to actually think about what your opponent might be planning and where their troops are actively heading, flank them and/or catch another base off guard and let your enemies hang themselves. Because, while it is possible to have a super-well defended base with a home-field advantage, giant battles between two or more extreme armies are pointless and don't get anyone anywhere. Avoid those and it becomes a game you actually have to think about and therefore a true strategy game.

Relevant to your interests: This may be a sequel to Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns, but it has nothing but theming and lore in common. The original Kohan is completely different. Also, multiplayer does not work because GameSpy, as you well know, has been dead for years. However, unlike to completely nonsensical Dungeon Siege II issues, you CAN actually do LAN games, which makes it O.K. for me.

Quite possibly one of the greatest and orignal classic RTS games out there. Highly recommend for any avid RTS player.

Kohan II: Kings of War is the sequel to an earlier product, but rest assured you don't need to have played the first to appreciate this one. Very much a real time game, it incorporates popular fundamental elements of the genre as it's commonly defined such as base building, veterancy and key named hero units capable of having a pronounced effect on the tide of battle, but wheras highly regarded titles of a similar age and make such as WarCraft 3 and Command & Conquer lean more toward the tactical aspects of combat, Kohan II leans more toward the strategic elements by foregoing individual unit micromanagement and having orders issued at the command level: companies are composed of captains, front lines, flanks and support units, and you control their composition and formation; column formation affords greater movement speed, but leaves the company's flank and support units exposed, while attack formation places the frontline where it belongs and is crucial for making pushes into enemy territory, yet limits a company's movement speed in a forced march.

Although units are smart enough to fight to their full potential when given sufficient orders, sometimes valor and good equipment can only go so far--Kohan II's scale of battle can become very large, and terrain plays a critical role in the flow of armies: open ground favors calvary, while heavily wooded areas shield men from arrows but limit their movement speed. Impassable mountains and lakes can form bottlenecks where armies clash that result in grueling melees lasting minutes of real time or more. And despite its fantasy elements--clerics, wizards, barbarians and more--there are witheringly realistic conditions: no mortal army, no matter how experienced or well led, can battle endlessly. Prolonged combat takes a toll on morale and companies who have multiple wounded units may route, break formation and flee for safety in the face of tireless undead waves, who knowing neither fear nor mercy can march as ordered until they overwhelm their enemy or are ground into dust. Lines of supply play an important part as well, with a visible indicator for your personal territory marking where your units can rest and recuperate and where they will flee if routed. In keeping with their forlorn and ravenous nature, the forces of the dead need no such succor, their numbers replenishing almost constantly no matter how far from their decrepit forts their companies may be.

The story can be described as contemporary fantasy, with characters who fit the description of ignorant hero, righteous do-gooder, bitter scapegoat, wise advisor and eldritch madman. Though the land of Khaldun has never been without its strife, a primordial evil threatens to consume everything, and though the heroes--unlikely and cynical as some of them may be--harness the might and the will to avert the end of the world, they do not do so without cost, illustrating the brutal lesson that noble victory sometimes requires sacrifice.

So, yeah, pretty good buy for $10. Devote a weekend to this game, you won't regret it!

One of the best strategy games I ever played through my entire life :)

I've just remembered one of the greatest games of all time
Kohan 2 Kings of War
This ♥♥♥♥ is amazing
Just pure ectasy pumped into lines of code
I want you to say it with me.
Buy this freakintastically awesome game
Now buy it.
This lovable child of Age of Empires 2 and the brother of Warhammer 40K Dawn of War, who was always the nice one in the family
The non-existence of Kohan 3 is a crime against nature
It should be put on a pedestal as the best of Real time strategy and worshipped as such and
Oh gods, I can't take it,
I confess, nostalgia put me up to this, it's his fault, not mine. Don't blame me for this. He's the one who shoved the words down my throat and made me vomit them out as praise
Wait, I got a disclaimer. Thank Gods!
9/10*

*Note: rating is good for 2004, and best until nostalgia dies in the gutter like the sequel-addicted sell-out it is

I played "Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns" many years ago nd I was both surprised and curious about this follow-up. I must say that it does not dissapoint!
The graphics have improved even more (if that was even possible) without losing any of the amazing parts that made KIS such a success. Besides that, you also have more races to choose and you will definitely be challenged strategically.
This game is very much recommended and will not let you down; it will fulfill all your expectations and rise above!

A unique and interesting strategy game and one of the first I played which introduced me to the idea of unit companies rather than micro managing individual units. It can be VERY hard at times when enemy AIs gang up on you but overall it is a fun an interesting experience for any RTS fan as far as I am concerned.