All the classic battles of the period are represented in the game, including Hastings, Arsouf, Hab, Durazzo, BraveHeart, Tichebrai, Stiklasadir, Nocerra, The Standard, Lincoln, Dublin, Agincourt, Patay, Arbedo, Barnet, and Hericourt to name but a few. The battle is played on a simple, yet effective, 2D map with hand-drawn units that are distinguishable from each other. Leaders are important, too, and units within their radius of influence will attack more bravely, defend more stubbornly, and rally more quickly.

Movement radius is shown by shaded squares, and fatigue is a vital factor (always get the enemy to move uphill, if you can - it doesn’t take long for a soldier to get winded when he’s wearing 40lbs of armor and toting a halberd!). Combat lasts until one side’s morale falls below 30 percent (you can tell that’s coming when you start seeing a lot of guys deserting the ranks before your next turn begins), or until a specified objective is taken. You can also closely monitor the status of your units, such as the number of desertions, casualties, fire power, combat strength and more. Throughout a scenario, the game reports your army's level of morale. The game also highlights a new “Reaction Fire” feature that allows units to react quickly to enemy fire without your prompting, making the game much more snappy and the action more continuous. There are some new features that improve upon Medieval 1, most notably the “Wing” commands used to issue expedite orders including advance, attack, retreat, fire, and regroup. Despite the small variety of units, Medieval 2 allows a wide range of gameplay options as you can quickly and easily rearrange formations to suit your strategy. Typically, your side will have a king, commander, knights, men at arms, and a militia.

Similar to other tactical-scale wargames, Medieval 2 simulates historical battles at a squad level. While it uses a turned-based format, the action is fast-paced enough and the logic accessible enough to attract newcomers to the genre. A more polished follow-up to Incredible Simulations’ excellent but little-known Medieval, Medieval 2 is an excellent hex-based wargame that accurately depicts most major battles during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.