Big K


War Zone

Publisher: Cases Computer Simulations
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Big K #10

War Zone

A very worthy, if rather simple-minded, computerisation of H.G.Well's style Little Wars, stripped down to basics. You pick a combination of infantry, armour and artillery totalling between 15 and 150 units. The Spectrum then picks its own hand, shuffles its deck of roads, woods, hills and minefields to make up the battlefield and places both sides.

The map is divided into nine sectors, top left being your home base, bottom right the computer's, and the side that takes over the other's base, or gets a 3:1 superiority, wins. You only get to see one sector at a time, and then only if you have at least one unit in it.

So, with every map completely different, you have to switch back and forward between sectors to keep the overall picture clear before committing units.

War Zone

The cap is divided into squares, with eight-way movement which, as any pre-hex wargamer can tell you, puts tremendous emphasis on the use of diagonal movement. Infantry moves four squares at a time, armour three, artillery two, though hills and woods slow movement while roads speed it up. Artillery has a longer firing range than armour, both getting an advantage from hilltops.

Watching the computer take its turn, it sure seems like it's giving itself plenty of the best of it, but I guess it evens out. After taking a couple of hammerings I found a surefire technique for winning - does the name J.F.C. Fuller mean anything to you? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more.

Good, clear graphics, smooth action, simple and straightforward control systems. Not for the hardened wargamer, but good fun in true Wellsian spirit.