Data Becker is the US arm of a big German media conglomerate. We're not really sure what the hell it is, but it seems to be a big deal back in Deutschland, publishing computer-related books, magazines and software. Sadly, it hasn't made quite such an impression here in the US, since its products seem to be aimed at the discount bin/shovelware market. The Germans are just crazy about cowboy fiction. The same sort of Louis L'Amour crapola that can hardly find shelf space in this country goes over huge in Germany. Why? Dunno. Must be one of those David Hasselhof crosscultural dealies that defies rational explanation. But the German fascination with all things Wild West does go a long way toward explaining America and its crazy mish-mash of history, RTS-style.

At least Ensemble attempted to provide some sort of historical background to the RTS action going on in Age of Empires. Data Becker is a lot less historically accurate with its units and settings, which we found almost as enjoyable as AoE's sometimes too realistic nature. America allows players to choose from four different "nationalities" and do the typical RTS thing -- build, research, fight -- in the American West at the height of Manifest Destiny. We think. Players can choose to be American settlers, Native American peoples (called "Indians" in this ultra nonpolitically correct game), Mexicans and -- best of all -- Desperadoes. Yup, this is basically a big game of Cowboys and Indians.

The game logic is completely and gleefully screwy: It's like being taught history by John Wayne and Sergio Leone. The Indians have medicine men that cast spells. American women are good for nothing but working the fields. Mexican banditos can steal gold from other players. And Desperadoes live on booze. Historical accuracy, evidently, is not at the top of Data Becker's feature list for America. The game is set sometime during America's expansion to the West, so there are plenty of wooden forts, long rifles and buffalo, but don't expect to replay famous battles or scenarios from our country's frankly checkered history. Instead, players are advised to relax and just enjoy this fresh and unintentionally zany RTS for what it is.

America plays just like every other RTS you've played. Left click to select units, right click to move them around the screen. The tech tree slowly expands as new buildings are put up and upgrades are researched. Peasants build and warriors fight, except in this game the peasants can be Indian maidens and the warriors are sometimes cowboys with rifles. The game is a constant balancing act, as players attempt to bring in enough raw materials to build up their towns and create armies. The three resources -- wood, gold and food -- are a bit scarcer than we're used to in RTS titles. Age of Empires seems like a trip to the supermarket in comparison. Wood and food in particular seem tough to keep up.

The difference between the four sides is rather remarkable. This is no "rock, paper, scissors" game, where each unit is matched and countered on each side. The differences between the sides are most notable in the Desperadoes. Incapable of growing crops, Desperadoes live off the buffalo and horses that their trappers slaughter and the booze produced by the distillery in town. Their bases are ramshackle, soon-to-be ghost towns that include saloons, drugstores, dynamite shacks and hotels that seem to lean more toward cathouses. There are no women in the Desperado camps, just angry, lonely cowboys.