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How so? Answer: They cut out the resource management and turn the whole thing into a rush-fest. Build quarries, farms and hovels? Why, when you're handed a sizable army on a silver platter every minute or two? These bonus Outpost units seem to exist outside the game economy, so you don't even need to worry about food and shelter. Of course, that's just in custom maps. During the campaign, they'll all be headed your way. No worries, though, just click on Arrow Volley or Rock Volley on the Tactical Powers menu and decimate the troops. Running out of money? Uncover Gold Tactical Power to the rescue! Are those free Outpost armies not enough to sate your bloodlust? How about a free group of Macemen, Spearmen or Knights from the (wait for it) Tactical Powers menu!

To be fair, the Tactical Powers menu uses a slowly filling bar, from which each Power subtracts a different amount. It's not like you can dispatch enemies with Arrow Volley's as fast as you can click, but close enough. I'll admit the possibility that the strategy present in the original version of Crusader returns in later Missions, or against tougher odds (7 vs 1, anyone?), but I'm not that masochistic and frankly my first few tastes of Extreme were enough to put me off entirely.

Stronghold Crusader Extreme is, in essence, a six year old RTS game + expansion pack being sold at a mid-range retail price point. This sort of thing can work if your box has the words “Blizzard” and “Battle Chest” on it, but it's a pretty tough sell for anything else. As it stands, the only people that'll be interested are a) die-hard Stronghold fans, b) Stronghold fans who've misplaced their copy of Crusader, or c) fans of real-time castle building and sieging who don't mind (or actively enjoy) the sight of thousands of ugly sprites with jerky animations slaughtering one another. Groups A and B probably already have their copies, or at least don't need a review to help them decide, and I'm pretty sure group C doesn't exist.