Stronghold

Stronghold, released in 1993 by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) for MS-DOS, is a unique blend of real-time strategy and city-building set in a fantasy world. Unlike traditional wargames of its time, it allowed players to design, build, and manage their own medieval stronghold while recruiting fantasy units such as knights, dwarves, elves, and wizards to defend it.

The game combined resource management with tactical depth, as players had to balance constructing defenses, housing, and training facilities while also preparing armies to fend off enemy attacks. The isometric perspective and detailed graphics gave life to bustling towns and epic sieges, offering a fresh take on the strategy genre.

With its mix of creative settlement building and strategic warfare, Stronghold stood out as an innovative title in SSI’s catalog. It appealed to fans of both simulation and fantasy strategy, paving the way for later hybrid games that blurred the lines between city management and battlefield command.