Previous Next

With this game, PSS has returned to the territory it covered in Theatre Europe - World War III. The massed forces of the evil empire (Reagan-speak for the Russians) pour over the dividing tine between the oppressed eastern bloc and the wonderful world of democracy. This line runs down the centre of Germany, though what the Germans think of this idea the game doesn't go into.

This is a triffic game, though - one of the best wargames for the Speccy that I've seen so far. It's very complex, though, so don't choose it as your first ever wargame, 'cos I suspect you'll get nowhere. It's a two player game, although your adversary can be the computer. On one side are the Russians and their allies in the Warsaw Pact, while on the other are the forces of Nato consisting of most of the countries of the free world.

Each side has a variety of different types of unit. The infantry are tough but slow, mechanised infantry move a bit faster while armour units are big and butch and terribly tough. The armoured cavalry are semi-tough and last, airmobile troops are really fast, airborne paratroops tend to drop on your head and the mountain troops spend a of of time on the piste.

The screen shows two maps - a large tactical one which takes up most of the screen, and a smaller strategic one that sits in the top right hand corner. The large map is divided up into hexagons, each 30 kilometers wide and you're able to look at a particular of the front in detail. Up to four units can fit inside each hexagon at a time, though you can only see the top one. The others are revealed when you want to have a quick dekko though.

Below the little map you get all the information you request. You're told how well supplied the unit you're enquiring about is, what its combat strength is, how efficient it is, how far it can move in a turn and whether it's tired and wants to go home. All these things play an important part when you're trying to decide when a unit should stand and fight and when it should hightail it out of there.

The Russian objective is to break through the Nato defenders and reach the Rhine as quickly as possible. However, they've got to make sure that they don't overstretch the supply lines, 'cos otherwise the Red Army's done for. The Nato forces have to keep the Russians stalled for as long as possible, holding out until fresh reinforcements arrive from America. Both sides have the option of going nuclear when things go wrong, but it's not advisable - neither side wins and Europe's transformed into a radioactive desert.

Battlefield Germany's a really great game, all things considered. Graphically its wonderful, and the game play is tough enough for even the dedicated wargamer. It's not really a game for beginners, but once you've got the hang of wargames, you're sure to want to try this one!