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Unless you were an early afficianado of Amstrad wargames or read Amscyclopedia in issue one of AA then you probably didn't even know there was a Johnny Reb I. This sequel follows along very much the same lines, except that the whole thing is a lot more polished than the original, which featured some disappointing graphics. Once again you're plunged into the American civil war where Confederate forces battle Union.

The game represents a single encounter between the Union and Confederate forces at a river crossing. The smaller Union force is trying to stop the Confederates crossing the river at a bridge and two fords. The Union at first looks hopelessly outnumbered, but as the game progresses its reinforcements arrive. If they have fought well, they can counterattack and win the battle.

The river runs down the middle of the game map, only part of which is shown on screen at a time. There are also areas of high ground, buildings and wails that affect the behaviour of units. Each side also has four types of unit, each with its own characteristics: infantry, cavalry, artillery and supply wagons.

One or two players can play, and against the computer there are three skill levels. These determine whether the game is played in 'turns' or real time, how many turns there are and whether units are always visible. Either way the units end up acting out instructions in real time. Each unit can be given a number of orders, depending on its type. Infantry can advance, charge, fire or dig in. Cavalry can do the same except dig in, while artillery can't charge either. The supply wagons can do little other than move.

The outcome of skirmishes depends on several factors: terrain, morale, strength and ammo levels, how experienced the troops are, and of course the number of units they're fighting against. A unit may be routed or broken so that you cannot control it for a while, or destroyed completely if the attack is heavy enough.

The 'front end' of the program allows you to change many aspects of the game to suit you. You can build walls, fences and houses on it to help the defending Union forces, or change the composition and types of unit to help either side. You can also determine where each unit starts at the beginning of the game and at what point the Union reinforcements arrive. Most of these are only valid for the two-player games, enabling you to set up the battle how you like.

The presentation is much improved from the early Lothlorien wargames, but the essential game remains the same. Newcomers to wargames will find they can easily get into the action, while more experienced hands will want something more testing. Despite the detailed 'front end' I found the game lacked variety and depth and really needed a longer game time with more strategy involved.

If you play this as an introduction to computer wargames, you'll probably end up wondering why anyone would bother with them. There's just not enough detail to the thing, and that means there isn't the lasting interest wargames rely on.

You can still tell your blues from your greys, so you really shouldn't have any problems.

P. Well presented and easy to use.
P. Good range of options for altering two-player games.
P. Good for a newcomer to wargames.

N. Not enough depth in strategy to satisfy experienced players.
N. Games are too short to need hard thought.
N. Very similar gameplay to the original.