The third title in the Great Battles series from Interactive Magic showcases the exploits of Julius Caesar, including his campaigns during the Roman Civil War with his former ally Pompey the Great. The Great Battles of Caesar covers the 100 hundred or so years leading up to the end of the Roman Republic and the founding of the Empire - the period when Rome's might expanded into Gaul, Greece, and North Africa.

Fans of the previous two titles in the series, Great Battles of Alexander and Great Battles of Hannibal, will find this third title an excellent and even more ambitious take on warfare in the classical age. The Great Battles of Caesar's first engagements are about one hundred years after the later battles that were fought in the second volume with Hannibal. These are actually pre-Caesar (who's campaigns begin in the game's third battle) but set the stage for the events that lead to the expansion of the Roman Republic.

The Great Battles of Caesar can be played as individual engagements or as part of a greater campaign. Players can re-trace the steps that Caesar took in his bid to conquer the known world, or they may choose to take the role of Caesar's enemies including Pompey, Gnais Pomeius (Pompey's son) and Scipio - while the early battles offer players to attempt to play rivals Marius or Sulla in Central Europe and Greece.

The tactics and weapons available in the era of Caesar had improved since Alexander the Great's day, with better fortifications and siege weapons available to the would-be dictator for life. The game excellently highlights these changes in that the battles vary greatly, both in terrain and style of combat as well as tactics employed by the enemy.

In this era, as Rome expanded, their armies faced many diverse opponents in a range of climates, from the deserts of North Africa to the woods of Gaul and the hills of Greece. Their opponents tested the Roman's with a wide range of weapons represented in the game as Chariots, favored by the Eastern Armies in Greece, to Elephants in North Africa, and even lightly armored yet aggressive Barbarian Cavalry. While Caesar may face hordes of Gallic barbarians in one battle, the player (as Caesar) must be prepared to fight more disciplined and highly respected fellow Romans when fighting the likes of Pompey and his armies during the civil war battles.

The earliest conflict in Great Battles of Caesar pits the Roman player against a superior sized Germanic army of nearly 200,000 barbarians at Vercellae. The Romans will have the upper hand as the Cimbri barbarians, led by King Beorix, face an extra challenge of the August weather and the extreme heat. At Sabis, Caesar must rally his troops while being attacked by a Gallic army. In Thapsus in North Africa, Caesar faces the army of Scipio and King Juba in the last battle to employ Elephants. In (what is modern day) Spain, Caesar fights the final battle against the Pompeian army before returning to Rome to be made Dictator for Life. Two months later Caesar would be dead, assassinated by a group of conspirators.

The game provides players with an epic challenge, to recreate the glorious conquests of Julius Caesar - or in the case of the other side, to stop Caesar from his ultimate goals. The epic scale of the game, like the previous two titles, is quite manageable. As a turn-based strategy game, it is important for the player to monitor movement points and morale of the units. Watching for flanking attacks and quick breaks in the line is also important. Most of the battles are relatively short and can easily be played in an evening, but players must be aware of victory goals. Since the battles may be limited by the number of turns, there is no time to sit back and hope the tide of battle will turn on its own.

The designers have kept the style and look of the previous titles so anyone familiar with those will have no problem jumping into this latest release. While the graphics could have been refined a bit, it seems easier to identify the units more easily than in the previous games. A big plus is that Caesar seems to run more smoothly than Hannibal and certainly better than Alexander. On the downside, it's disappointing that The Great Battles of Caesar, like the previous two volumes, does not contain a campaign or battle editor. The nine battles, while diverse, offer an exciting challenge but do seem rather limited. Many of the battles seem a bit one-sided and seem to offer only limited re-playability.

Overall, The Great Battles of Caesar is part of a trilogy, on a grand scale, of warfare in the classic age and highlights some of the eras most momentous battles and campaigns while presenting the epic rivalry of Caesar and his opponents. While a follow-up of battles of Augustus or later Roman era battles would be nice, maybe the series should be left in three parts and remain truly in the classic era.