The Tricycle, under impassioned artistic director Nicolas Kent, has rightly made a name for itself with its “tribunal” plays, which use all manner of documentary evidence to worry at modern politics. Yet no former undertaking has boasted anything like the scope or ambition of The Great Game. Kent has commissioned 14 writers to provide an astonishing 18 individual pieces of drama to take us through the chaotic history of Afghanistan from 1842 to the present day.

The works are presented in three parts, either to be viewed individually or all together at weekends in a marathon day-long session of intellectual overload. The cumulative impact, as we trace recurring patterns of interference from foreign powers, religious extremism, the opium trade and conflicts between intractable tribal chiefs, is immense.

The flipside of this, though, is that individual efforts struggle to be heard above the collective chorus.

Part One, which plods dutifully from 1842-1930, is not a thrilling start. There’s much historical ground to be covered, which means a few too many public-school twits deploying cricketing metaphors and duffy old buffers from the Foreign Office riding roughshod over the natives. Poor Ron Hutchinson certainly drew the short straw when he was allocated as subject matter the confirmation of Afghanistan’s boundaries in 1893.

Things perk up significantly in Part Two (1979-96) when the Russians invade. We’re more familiar with the facts, for a start, which leaves the dramatists freer to explore nuance. Black Tulips, by David Edgar, not only provides welcome light relief but also some of the snappiest writing on offer. The timeline cleverly slides back through the 1980s, as a succession of Soviet soldiers address new recruits. Jemima Rooper gives a spirited performance as an interpreter putting her own spin on the words.

Part Three (1996-2009) sees Abi Morgan offer poignant post-Taliban hope and Richard Norton-Taylor dash it in the chillingly concise Verbatim, with news that the extremists are even now staging a resurgence. The terrific acting ensemble never flags, directors Kent and Indhu Rubasingham continue to imbue each piece with fierce, coherent life and, most movingly of all, Pamela Howard’s beautiful painted mural backdrop is whitewashed by Taliban henchmen then collapses to give way to an uninterrupted vista of poppy fields. The “Great Game” continues.
Until 14 June. Information: 020 7328 1000, www.tricycle.co.uk.