The Decisive Battles of the Ancient World is a rather interesting documentary. It follows several battles throughout the classical period, while I would not call all of them ‘decisive’ battles of the Ancient World, some of them certainly are. 

On a whole, it’s well presented. They use an engine similar, if not exactly the same as Medieval: Total War in displaying battlefields and tactics with army sizes and landscape etc. They explain several possible reasons behind each strategy and the lead ups and aftermaths of the battles. 

The first disc is Roman battles, including Rome and the Goths, Julius Caesar against Pompey and a few other battles.  The second disc contains Thermopylae, Boudicca etc. The third disc contains one from Crassus and the battle of Gaugamela.  

While some of the academics know what they’re talking about, the presenter is horribly misinformed on some of his facts, and spouts utter rubbish that isn’t historically accurate at all. This kind of tarnishes it, but it doesn’t make it worth not watching. Just take everything he says with a grain of salt.