The subject matter of The History Channel's latest gaming project tempts a cliche: "Arma virumque cano... genus unde Latinum, Albanique patres, atque altae moenia Romae." The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome, being developed for the PSP, PS2, and PC by SBK07 devBlack Bean Games, with Slitherine Software and the History Channel, relives over 100 battles between the Roman legionnaires and the barbaric tribes up north, including the Punic Wars, and Julius Caesar's campaign all the way to the shores of modern-day Britain.

If you have no idea what this writer just said, right up to the Latin, try visiting a local library.

The game features a mix of strategy and action, the press release says, featuring customizable army setups and a choice of whether to draw up the order of battle or leave it to the AI and take nothing but the action. We suspect an AI-squad action game in the veins of Bladestorm, Dynasty Warriors, or 300, but no further clues can be inferred from the screenshots (presumably from the PC or the PS2 version) below.

Hey, it's not a video game that'll rock the world, but you know what they said about being ignorant of history. Which is why a trip to the library every now and then isn't so bad.