The biggest and most important part of the game is the grand strategy map, where you'll choose one of 18 available kingdoms and lead it to victory against the Gorgon invasion. This part is actually very well done and complex, as you get various options such as building fortifications, casting global magic, building trade routes and conducting espionage, allowing the player to choose his own playstyle.

When armies clash, you go to the rather limited battle segment. You can field only a small part of your army, leaving the rest in reserve to replace damaged units. And both sides can only move units in a small 5x3 grid, which leaves little room for any real tactics.

In the adventure segments, your regent and his lieutenants go delving in dungeons after relics in a 3D first-person blobber. Mechanic-wise this part is rather shallow – despite using the AD&D ruleset, you are limited to premade heroes and can't customise them much. The combat itself can be played in either real-time or turn-based mode, but both are poorly done. They are also confusing, thanks to a “cinematic” camera that pans out to show the characters fighting, which often results in said camera getting stuck. The redeeming part is the level design, as maps are filled with secrets that are quite rewarding to find.

Birthright also offers multiple paths to victory, tough conquest, diplomacy, economy, magic and/or acquiring relics. Everything you and other regents do generates victory points and every few turns the game shows the progress of all factions.

It's easy to see why this game was both a commercial and a critical failure – the adventures are frustrating, battles are underwhelming and the strategy part is overwhelming. As such, those looking for an RPG should stay away, but strategy fans might find Birthright worth playing.