<s>
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
is	O
a	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
and	O
role-playing	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Strategic	O
Simulations	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
of	O
the	O
4X	B-Application
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
published	O
for	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
Amiga	B-Device
machines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reception	O
towards	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
tended	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
positive	O
than	O
negative	O
;	O
reviewers	O
called	O
it	O
an	O
exciting	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
its	O
method	O
of	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
and	O
cited	O
problems	O
with	O
its	O
documentation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
is	O
a	O
"	O
strategic	O
fantasy	O
role-playing	O
adventure	O
"	O
video	O
game	O
published	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Offensives	O
take	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
melee	B-Application
,	O
charges	O
,	O
missiles	O
,	O
and	O
magic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
games	O
designer	O
Alan	O
Emrich	O
considered	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
gameplay	O
typical	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
eXplore	O
,	O
eXpand	O
,	O
eXploit	O
and	O
eXterminate	O
"	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
4X	B-Application
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Strategic	O
Simulations	O
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
company	O
that	O
dominated	O
the	O
1980s	O
market	O
for	O
digital	O
wargames	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
plainly	O
exhibits	O
the	O
influence	O
of	O
traditional	O
board	O
games	O
in	O
its	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Written	O
in	O
Microsoft	B-Language
QuickBASIC	I-Language
and	O
other	O
languages	O
,	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
features	O
a	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
system	O
that	O
uses	O
the	O
game	O
manual	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
was	O
released	O
when	O
fantasy-themed	O
wargames	O
were	O
gaining	O
popularity	O
and	O
computer	O
wargames	O
were	O
starting	O
to	O
flourish	O
as	O
the	O
rules	O
of	O
the	O
board	O
games	O
grew	O
in	O
complexity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Advanced	O
Computer	O
Entertainments	O
John	O
Minson	O
,	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
complied	O
with	O
part	O
of	O
this	O
trend	O
;	O
its	O
huge	O
complicated	O
set	O
of	O
rules	O
would	O
have	O
made	O
it	O
an	O
unplayable	O
board	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
hiding	O
its	O
mechanics	O
from	O
the	O
player	O
,	O
the	O
digital	O
version	O
could	O
be	O
played	O
by	O
anyone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Lessers	O
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
Jokers	O
Werner	O
Hiersekorn	O
felt	O
the	O
game	O
ran	O
slow	O
on	O
their	O
computers	O
,	O
while	O
Starkweather	O
reflected	O
that	O
battles	O
could	O
take	O
up	O
to	O
one	O
and	O
a	O
half	O
hours	O
to	O
complete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
video	O
game	O
observers	O
doubted	O
the	O
classification	O
of	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
as	O
a	O
role-playing	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Science	O
fiction	O
and	O
fantasy	O
novelist	O
Orson	O
Scott	O
Card	O
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
Computings	O
Lucinda	O
Orr	O
considered	O
it	O
more	O
of	O
a	O
strategy	O
than	O
a	O
role-playing	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Minson	O
of	O
ACE	O
was	O
of	O
like	O
mind	O
,	O
and	O
further	O
elaborated	O
that	O
unlike	O
the	O
Dungeon	O
and	O
Dragon	O
series	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
failed	O
to	O
inspire	O
players	O
to	O
identify	O
themselves	O
with	O
the	O
characters	O
,	O
giving	O
a	O
"	O
coldly	O
mechanical	O
experience	O
"	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Datormagazins	O
Hans	O
Ekholm	O
thought	O
otherwise	O
,	O
saying	O
the	O
gameplay	O
did	O
not	O
require	O
any	O
strategy	O
,	O
and	O
considered	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
"	O
a	O
fantasy	O
role-playing/adventure	O
game	O
and	O
nothing	O
else	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
troubling	O
to	O
several	O
reviewers	O
was	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inaccuracies	O
were	O
not	O
restricted	O
to	O
the	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ekholm	O
dismissed	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
for	O
its	O
flawed	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
and	O
perceived	O
lack	O
of	O
strategy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Retro	O
Gamer	O
magazine	O
,	O
"	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
is	O
considered	O
by	O
many	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
best	O
fantasy	O
wargame	O
ever.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
called	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Aragon	I-Application
addictive	O
and	O
was	O
willing	O
to	O
overlook	O
issues	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
finding	O
pleasure	O
in	O
formulating	O
strategies	O
and	O
tactics	O
to	O
overcome	O
the	O
enemy	O
.	O
</s>
