In the 5th century BC, the world trembles. The mighty Persian Empire, ruled by the Achaemenid house, is in midst of a succession crisis. Chosen by the recently deceased King Darius as his heir, the ambitious Xerxes gathers his followers to establish his place in the empire and begin the last will of his father as soon as possible: conquering Greece in order to avenge the humiliating defeat of Marathon.
At the same time, Greeks are not idle. King Leonidas of Sparta, who has urged the rest of nations of Greece to join him in the defense of their country, is visited by his nephew Pausanias in his camp in Thermopylae. The king tells Pausanias the story of he reached his own throne, which inspires the young warrior to join him. The forces of Athens, led by Miltiades, watch the incoming battle, waiting to make a decision.
Meanwhile, Egypt suffers under the chains of the Persian Empire. Young chieftain Inaros is chosen by his Persian satrap to train an army to join the war effort against Greece, but when Inaros' fiancee Meritaton is kidnapped to be offered to the satrap as a gift, he changes his loyalty and begins a rebellion against the Persian rule to bring his beloved back.
The game received a sequel in 2008, Fate of Hellas, portraying the clash between Sparta and Athens in The Peloponnesian War and the rise of Macedon.
The video game contains examples of:
- Alternate History: Only the Persian campaign ends as real history went, with the Persians losing in Plataea and it being implied that Artabanus will betray Xerxes. In the Greek one, Xerxes is killed in Salamis despite in real life he didn't even participate in the battle, while in the Egyptian one, Inaros trumps Megabyzus when in real life he was defeated.
- Artistic License – History: Enough for its own article.
- Awesome, but Impractical: The game includes a variety of siege equipment and war machines, some of which are decidedly more useful than others.
- The Beastmaster: Egyptian priestesses can summon and control panthers.
- Big Bad: King Xerxes, although in a twist, he has his own campaign of which he is a sort of Big Good.
- Damsel in Distress: Ahmose's daughter is kidnapped by the Persians and needs to be rescued throughout the game.
- Dub Name Change: Bizarrely, the European version changes the names of everybody in the Egyptian campaign, giving them Arabian names instead. Inaros becomes Hazem, Ahmose is renamed as Ahmed, and Meritaton becomes Rawia. Megabyzus is also turned into a Composite Character with another satrap by being renamed Achaemenes.
- Historical Fantasy: The story is loosely based in real history, with some magic and stuff.
- Playing with Fire: Persian priests can throw fireballs.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: African and Egypt warriors are often barechested. Inaros/Hazem also counts.
