If you were to mix the ideas of the Wright brothers with those of Heath Robinson, you might well end up with one of the aircraft from Silmarils' latest release Storm Master. This quite game is mainly a test of strategic ability, but the occasional bit of arcade action is included and there's even some supernatural administration that has to be done as well.

Your play the newly elected leader of a wartime government from the island of Eolia (a magical country on the planet Urgaa). Neighbouring island Sharkaania has threatened to invade for centuries, but until the recent discovery of flight they have been unable to do so. This is because a huge seam-monster, called Goorza, inhabits the channel of water which separates the two states. The only way across is to fly...

You can choose between five different scenarios that are each set at different times during the war. This allows you to give the advantage to yourself, or be thrown in at the deep end with the challenge of turning the tide of a war that is not going your way. The lead up to this options screen takes the form of an atmospheric intro, showing the Storm Master invoking a howling wind, to propel one of the aforementioned craft into the sky. Very impressive. Stuff!

The magnificent seven
It's a very strange place is Urgaa, with some very strange people, seven of whom sit on your own ruling council. They are the main governors of Eolia, who each administrate a separate area of the society, and are known as the Ecclesiast, the Master Miller, the High Constable, the Joker, the Leonardo, the Inquisitor and the Commander. Clicking on them produces a sub-screen where further options are possible, some of these lead to further option screens and so on, making the game parameters enormous.

The Ecclesiast is the most important member of the council, since the title of 'Storm Master' belongs to him. Through prayer to the god Eolu, he is able to gain limited control of the winds, which can be used to increase the yield of windmills or wreak havoc upon the enemy by the unleashing of a cyclone.

You actually play a part in this ceremony by using the mouse to conduct various rituals which have to be performed in a certain order. It's good fun but incredibly difficult, and gets quite frustrating when you receive only a light breeze for your efforts instead of the raging hurricane that you had been expecting.

Clicking the mouse around the ceremonial chamber causes some great little animations and the temple backdrop itself (like the other backdrops in the game) is also of very high quality.

The not-so-Spruce Goose
The Leonardo is your head of science and research. He is also a very important member of your council since it's through him that you must design and build the aircraft to take your army into combat. With his help you can also invest money into the education system of Eolia.

His sub-screen provides access to some of the most attractive graphics in the game: the ship design screens. There you can experiment with different components to create, crew and test one of four types of weird, boat-like flying machines, that are shown on the drawing board in some impressive da Vinci-style artwork.

For your inventions maiden flight another screen appears where it either flies through the air with the greatest of ease or crashes to the ground in a ball of flame. Brilliant! If you manage to launch an air-raid and then get attacked by enemy aircraft, you are treated to a relatively fast 3D section that gives you a view from the... er... prow of your plane so that you can dogfight to the death.

The whole of the high council are incredibly touchy, and sometimes leave if you neglect them, so it;s best to rotate between them. Since the strategy element of the game concerns the maintaining of food supplies and good living conditions, as well as the construction of an airforce, it's important to keep them at your side. The sub-sections of the game which control this process, are all attractive and easy to use, making the game a joy to play once you get the basic idea.

The combinations of strategic and arcade gameplay put Storm Master in a class by itself, with excellent graphics and sound simply being the icing on a huge cake that you must get a slice of. Today!

You remember Silmarils, of course. They're a French lot, they used to be distributed by Palace, but now a new outfit, Daze, are bringing them into this country. And yes, they've actually done some quite good games. Boston Bomb Club most recently. (They've also done some rubbish, like Crystals of Arborea, but we'll quickly skip over that). Anyway - like almost everybody right now it seems - they've got the epic fantasy game bug at the moment, though, being French, their effort is rather weirder than most. It's almost rather good - I've not been submerged into a more atmospherically pleasing fantasy-cum-strategy trip in a long time.

The introduction sequence certainly unfolds rather slickly - good artistry and atmospheric music all go together to create some great storm effects helped by some lovely shades of orange and purple - and happily the game behind it doesn't disappoint visually either. This is a very good looking product.

The action is set on a strange planet called Urgaa, where the power of wind governs all naturally harmony, and the dynasties of the twin islands of Eolia and Sharkaania battle for absolute power.

The evil, nasty, meanies are the Sharkaanians. All you need to know about the history of the lands at this point is that Sharkaanian mercenaries have murdered the Grand Magister of Eolia and you have been appointed by the Council of Seven to take on the role of Chief. Success, destiny, power, and the fruits of victory - which, of course, include the chance to marry a typically beautiful princess - lie in your hands. Some things never change, eh?

The setting is a sort of cross between Jules Verne and Dune then, but the game itself is decidedly another modern variant on the Kingdoms theme, something that seems to be quite popular at the moment.

As Grand Magister you control everything, from creating magic spells and controlling the growth of food in Eolia to commissioning Kray twin-type characters to assassinate the opposition or launching full scale campaigns against your neighbours. It's a managerial juggling act then, with you flicking from screen to screen in an attempt to build up your nation's power to a point where you can either mount an attack on Sharkaania or, if everything's going horribly wrong, at least ward off one of their attacks.

Skilful and shrewd use of your kingdom's resources should enable you to establish stable control - careless over-spending or negligence of your people could see you murdered in the bath by an embittered subject - along you to concentrate on building up a successful offensive.

So how's it structured? Well, the first screen of the game gives you a choice of six scenarios and five levels. Each scenario deals with a different period in the history of Eolia. Scenario zero is entitled 'The Golden Age' - set in the year 7272, it gives you an ideal start (Sharkaania has been struck by famine and the Council of Seven ruling Eolia in great harmony).

As I mentioned before, making just about anything work in your kingdom requires you to use the winds. Wind enables you to get around - in wacky great flying ships - and, even more importantly, run the economy.

Manufacturing is achieved through windmills - you'll need these to help build your flying ships before you get to go anywhere, for instance. (There's no chance of using the water that surrounds your island for transport - it's occupied by a humungous great sea monster beastie who'll gobble up anyone who risks it).

During play you can hurry time on by clicking on the date icon, but be careful - the more you do this, the longer the baddies get to plan their strategy or pillage your lands.

The centre of the game is your Council of Seven screen. To go through every aspect of the game means clicking on the appropriate character - Adviser, Ecclesiast, Master Miller, High Constable, Joker, Leonardo, Scribe, Inquisitor and Commander. They are your deputes, if you like, and you must go to one of these to access any part of the game.

Almost everything you do costs money (measured in 'Kaa') - how much you have of this is indicated in the treasure icon at the bottom of the screen. Don't spend it all at once, though - remembered that everything in this world is linked, and could affect your people's well being. The rule seems to be coordinate and delegate but never vegetate.

And there you have it really - you certainly can't complain that it doesn't give you a lot to do. Though it's true that we've seen this sort of thing before - everything from Mega lo Mania to Deuteros to Realms has a bit of Kingdoms in it - it's rearely looked this good (the 3D combat section being particularly striking).

Your animated ship takes off from an airbase in your kingdom and is controlled by means of the icons at the base of the screen. With these you control the direction of your ship, and whether it lands, loots or bombs enemy territory. Once intercepted by an enemy ship you automatically go to 3D action mode. It's all very impressive - distinctively individual and very stylish with stunning sound effects to match the zap of the giant crossbows and thump of the air-to-air catapult as it launches its massive bombs.

Storm Master has scope too. Five different scenarios mean you can approach things from a number of different angles - you can build up your kingdom from scratch, or you can come in during specific periods of war or famine.

So what's wrong with it? Well, very little, as it happens. This might not be quite as impressive as recent Ubi Soft products, but it's easily the best from Silmarils yet, and pushes them towards the fore of French publishers. What it sets out to do - provide an epic strategy management thing in a fantasy setting - it does very well, and if there's nothing all that original or new about it, well, fair enough.

Complaints about the gameplay - it can be frustrating not being provided with the right components to build your airships, for instance - are few and far between.

A megalomaniac's delight then - perhaps more immediately accessible than Realms, say, if a generally less ambitious project. What can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you thought strategy games were as fast-paced and interesting as a complete recital of the 'Cricketers' Almanac' by Mr Bean, think again. In their latest game, Silmarils have used an original scenario, in-depth gameplay and enough to keep a Russian chess champion happy. Storm Master combines war, politics, economics, power-broking and arcade sequences to produce an exciting cacophony of action rarely ever experienced in the genre.

Set in the lands belonging to Eolia, and her opponent, Sharkaania, much depends on the prevailing winds which sweep powerfully across the realms. Such is their strength that they provide power for transport, stimulate output, boost national income and, ultimately, are the catalyst for victory.

As the new overseer of this blowy land, you must rule your kingdom wisely and destroy the seven cities of the evil Sharkaania aggressors.

You have complete control over your nine councilors, who range form simple one-task characters, like the Advisor, who provides information about the kingdom, to the military genius of The Commander, who handles the recruitment of soldiers, and the building of air fields.

These and other men also help you feed the population, build your defences, gather up armies, and maintain stability in the country. No one character is more important than any other, and whilst it might seem attractive to amass forces. If you neglect the other members of the council, they'll up and leave our circle to defect to the other side, taking their vital skills with them.

As with most 'God' sims, the key to survival is the generation of money. This is the Master Miller's task. He must plant the wheat and place the cattle which will keep the populous happy. Once placated they can be taxed, but not too harshly as a heavily-burdened city will revolt and destroy itself. As soon as a reasonable standard of living is achieved you can then think about profit.

Your main source of income are the mills. These are expensive, but if used wisely they will reap huge rewards. Their production levels are determined by their location: if placed in the mountains they'll produce the iron needed for propellers, shields and engines; if placed in the plains they'll assemble sails and balloons, used for the huge flying battle ships.

And if a mill is put in the forest, the wood is used to build vessel structures. All this produce can then be sold via the High Constable. He will enter into the market place and either sell any surplus or initiate a deal with another country for something you have little of. But because the mills aren't self-sufficient and require financing, a happy medium must be found between profit and loss.

Each character has their own responsibility, but must work in conjunction with the others if you are to dominate. For instance, you can get the Ecclesiast to walk to a part of the country where you're thinking of building a mill and check the location for winds. Any mill in an area of favourable weather will achieve incredible profits.

The options for a rich country are limitless. You can pay the Inquisitor to soy on the opposition or on your own people . He can even sed out his assassin to bump off the council's rivals. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable characters is Leonardo, who will present you with the blueprints of the ships which can conquer Sharkaania.

There are four types to experiment with and all have different properties. Ikaar are light and fast, but can't carry many men, whilst Noowe are extremely heavy and slow, but can carry a huge army for the looting of cities.

When equipped, each ship must then pass a flight test which, if failed, means all components and crew are lost in a puff of smoke. After a successful flight it's off to the factory and, providing you have enough of the key elements, you can commence mass production.

All that's left is to build an air field and station your planes for an attack across the water. Check the location of your opponent's air defences and make sure you have enough money for the campaign. If you're stuck in enemy territory and are out of time, your ships will being to blow up one by one until you return. It's not all strategy, though, and once you come into contact with enemy aircraft you can switch to a 3D arcade shoot 'em up complete with huge wooden crossbow bolts and catapults.

Storm Master is a hugely entertaining game that breaks the strategy mould. There's so much to do that sometimes you'll just sit back and stare at the screen in desperation for what to choose next. The screens are beautifully drawn although the sonics aren't up to much. That said, you won't have more fun with a strategy simulation anywhere.