It’s part RTS, part sim, part economics game, and while each individual element has been done better since, Stronghold 2 does a good job of combining them. And while the original supported the creation of custom maps, you can now use the Steam Workshop to share and download them.ĭespite being a bit ambivalent about castles ever since I was attacked by a ferocious wasp in one 25 years ago, I’ve got fond memories of Stronghold 2. That’s a pretty good reason to upgrade, but the Steam Edition also introduces plenty of extra features.Īchievements, Steam cards, six new maps and improved graphics round out the enhancements. Or at least it didn't have official support, though with some faffing around you could play using GameRanger. Until last week, the only way to get Stronghold 2 on Steam was inside the Stronghold Collection, but it didn’t have multiplayer support after Gamespy’s demise. Best of all: it’s free if you’ve got the original. Last week, it popped up on Steam in a new edition that reintroduces multiplayer while adding achievements, new maps and more. Launched in 2005, Stronghold 2 is a castle sim that tasks you with managing a medieval fortress where you can throw fancy parties, organise jousting tournaments, bully peasants and duke it out with other lords over who gets to rule the land.

Stronghold 2 maps