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Following the Great Cataclysm, dragons have been banished from Ansalon, in the kingdom of Krynn, for more than a millennium; people are beginning to take their now-peaceful existence for granted and security has become lax. And so it is with little effort that Takhisis, Queen Of Darkness (and villain of almost every Advanced Dungeons And Dragons scenario) and her new ally, Highlord of Neraka, muster draconian forces and taste victory in their first battle with the armies of Whitestone (he's the good guy). Krynn's in the poo once again! Are you person enough to face the challenge of battle and drive Highlord back to the Khalkist Mountains from whence he crawled?

War Of The Lance is a one- or two-player game with either a friend or your computer commanding Highlord while you look after Whitestone. Each campaign lasts six years, thankfully not in real time, but actually thirty game turns) during which time both players engage their armies in battle to conquer enemy territory. While bloody battles are being fought, champions quest for magic items to help your cause. Alternatively, you may dispatch diplomats rather than soldiers in an effort to gain alliance with other countries.

War Of The Lance can be won in two ways: by having more points than your enemy at the end of play or by destroying his central nations.

Once you've selected who's playing whom you choose either Campaign - the start of the war when Whitestone has no allies; or Scenario - further into the war when both sides have allies and Highlord has several conquered nations to brag about. There then follows a number of options allowing you to alter strength of units, long-unit replacements, alliance percentages (how willing a country might be to join you), and combat effectiveness.

Play consists of several phases which include Message, Quest, Diplomatic, Movement, Recovery and Combat (possible on land, sea or in the air) - and players take turns at each. All phases are complex, highly detailed, and require much thought if a winning move is to be made, but then isn't that the basis of all good wargames?

War Of The Lance was designed by David Landrey (also responsible for the award-winning Gettysburg and Battles Of Napoleon) which explains its depth, professionalism, attention to detail, and intricate strategies.

A particularly refreshing feature is that the whole game comes on one, double-sided disk - there's none of this 'Insert disk 12, side C' confusion which has been far too prevalent of late.

I should stress that even though you may have enjoyed other SSI/AD&D products, don't go rushing out blindly to buy this one. You might be disappointed: it's their first "Wargame" and, as such, lacks the graphics (limited to icons flashing around on a basic, but scrolling, map), sound and visual effects featured in Pools Of Radiance or Champions Of Krynn. Having said that, War Of The Lance might be a good introduction to wargaming. If you like the Dragonlance scenarios, and pretty pictures don't make or break a game for you then you're halfway there.