Guessed by Darashiva
Big games take all the spotlight and claim entire genres if you stop paying attention. The turn-based strategy genre, of the grand variety at least, is pretty much cornered by the great Total War series, and maybe Paradox Interactive's games like Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings and Victoria. However sometimes, something minor comes out that's secretly better than all the big guns. Now I must admit, in this case I played 'Astérix' before I ever knew of the existence of those bigger series, but this premise does hold true regardless. The lesson is to just try unknown things, a lesson I sadly forget much too often myself during the last decade however.
Astérix, a simple name but called Asterix: The Gallic War in a later release, is a simple turn-based strategy game where you manage the strength of your own provinces and attack and conquer back all the others in Gaul, present day France, from the Roman invaders. The game ends when you reach Italy and own a set of special provinces that require the completion of a mini-game or a platforming level to conquer. I was a fan of the Asterix comics, of maps, Romans, and I had been on holiday to France for a couple years in a row at the time so really, perfect game at the perfect time.
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