Medieval is a castle defense game for the iPhone and iPod Touch that is sure to be a success in the app store. Value is the keyword in this great app.

In this game, you control one of two castles that must be defended at all costs. Your objective is to defend your castle from wave after wave of enemy soldiers and mobile weapons, such as the catapult. The enemies will try to destroy your castle or steal your flag. To win the game, you must outlast each wave of enemies, destroy the enemy castle or steal the enemy flag.

You have a vast arsenal of weapons at your disposal to accomplish your mission. But, the enemy has the same tools you have. There are three difficulty levels: easy, medium and hard. Even on easy, the game can be very challenging if you don't come up with some sort of strategy before you start the game. You begin a new game with only a little bit of gold to buy new weapons or soldiers, so you have to choose your purchases wisely. At first, your only weapon is a bow and arrow at the top of the castle. The game includes eight different weapons and six different troop types. But, each of these can be upgraded several times.

Each time you fire your bow and arrow and hit a target, whether it be a soldier or the castle, you gain a certain amount of gold. To fire your weapon, you have to tap on it and hold. Sliding your finger up and down will change the bow's angle and sliding your finger back will increase the power of your shot. Releasing your finger will fire the arrow. This method works well, but takes a little while to get used to. There's a pretty big learning curve to use the bow and arrow properly. But, after you get the hang of it, it can be very precise.

The bow shoots only one plain arrow at first, but can be upgraded to shoot multiple arrows and arrows that are on fire. However, the more powerful the weapon, the longer you have to wait for the weapon to recharge. If you have enough gold, you can purchase upgrades that will recharge the weapon faster by a certain percentage. With so many upgrades, there is always something new to purchase, which really adds to the game's value.

You can choose to use only one weapon or soldier at a time, so to make your selection, you have to tap on the appropriate circle at the bottom of the screen. They are small, so if you hold down on a circle, it will magnify just like the dock on Mac OS X. You can slide your finger back and forth until you find the weapon you want. This was the first problem I had with the game. There were times during the game when I tapped on the wrong arrow or weapon and had to try again to select the one I wanted. When there are many enemies nearby, this problem can waste critical time. There must be a better way of changing your weapon. Another problem I had was with the soldiers. When you deploy a solider, you can only do so one at a time. It would be nice to have the option of sending them out in groups.

The graphics in the game are nicely done, with moving clouds and other elements in the background. Attention to detail is evident when looking at the battlefield scenery and fluid animations of the soldiers. The soldiers actually fight when they meet on the battlefield. Sound is one area I found lacking. Yes, there are sounds for every hit and weapon release, but some of the clips just don't sound right. For example, when you hit a solider once, it sounds like another arrow release at a higher pitch. It doesn't sound like you actually hit the soldier. The only way you know that you landed the shot is through the point indicator. I was also disappointed by the boulder sound. It just sounds weak.

When I first started playing Medieval, I really hated it. I was losing all the time, even on easy, and I couldn't figure out why. I also hated the way you shoot the bow and arrow. But, strategy really does play a huge role in this game. You have to think about what you want to purchase and when to purchase it. As stated before, this game has a pretty big learning curve. But, if you are patient and willing to experiment with the game, you'll get the hang of things and really learn to love this game. It is truly a fun and addicting experience that will have you playing for hours. This is a game that will stay on my iPhone for quite a while. I strongly recommend checking it out.