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For the United States in World War II capturing an island from the Japanese was not simply a case of landing troops and letting them fight. They had to be supplied, reinforced, kept free from disease, and given air cover. All this depended on keeping a sea route to the island open. Winning at Guadalcanal, captured between August 1942 and January 1943, was a matter of balancing land, air and sea forces.

Guadalcanal provides exactly this challenge in a one-player game, with the player taking either side against the computer, moving between a main map to direct ships and aircraft and a battle map of Guadalcanal.

The game is icon-driven and works in continuous time (roughly one second equals one game minute) which can be speeded up to cope with the months that the campaign lasted.

At the start, the Americans are in no condition to attack. They must protect their sea convoy with battleships and aircraft carriers, building up troops and supplies on the island. If you leave behind the ammunition and the medicine, your troops will be over-run or die of disease.

Meanwhile the Japanese, who had more battleships and carriers in the area, are trying to do the same thing, scouting to find the Americans. If either side loses its supply ships to enemy action, it has lost the battle.

Trying to cover every aspect of a campaign - including even code-breaking - like this is ambitious. One main drawback is that you can only give directional movement orders. While you are watching the land fighting your carriers may have run into an island.

The game can be paused, but the continuous times doesn't allow a lot of planning or thinking before you react.

Guadalcanal is a good and interesting wargame, that would have been even better with a two-player option.