Legions of Death requires players to control the navies of ancient Rome and Carthage during the Punic Wars, in order to conquer the Mediterranean Sea.
In single-player mode, the player controls the fleet of Carthage, in two-player mode one player controls the Roman navy while the other controls the Carthaginian fleet. Each player must try to destroy their opponent's fleet and gain control of the Mediterranean. At the start of play, each player must construct their navy using a combination of faster galleys and heavier combat ships. Galleys can be used to collect funds from outlying ports and transport it back to the player's dock, heavier ships are needed to counter the other player's attacking fleet, as they can ram and sink enemy vessels. Ships must build up speed as their initial movement is slow.
Source: Wikipedia, "Legions of Death", available under the CC-BY-SA License.