Category: Strategy and War Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Harrison GAME DEVELOPER:OCEAN GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1995, OCEAN Central Intelligence is a detailed role-playing game covering revolution in South America. Despite the great espionage / strategy premise, the game is marred by a very “dry” presentation. The game is set in the Caribbeans. A fictional…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen Hart & Ian Trout GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Studies Group (SSG) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Studies Group (SSG) Copyright 1989, Strategic Studies Group (SSG) One of the few SSG classics that are not based on World War II, Gold of the Americas is an excellent strategy/conquest game set in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Foster & David Lester GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1994, Impressions David Lester’s masterpiece and definitely THE game that finally brought Impressions into the spotlight, Lords of The Realms is a great medieval strategy game that strikes a great balance between combat and empire building.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Felix Unger GAME DEVELOPER:Century Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Boeder Copyright 1993, Boeder One of the best M.U.L.E. clones ever made, Subtrade: Return to Irata transfers the galactic capitalism of Dani Bunten’s timeless classic to an undersea economy. Despite new species, background graphics, and different commodities, gameplay is still…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andre Wuthrich GAME DEVELOPER:Linel GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1992, Merit Studios Linel’s Traders is an ambitious clone of Dani Bunten’s classic M.U.L.E. that unfortunately adds too many new gameplay elements with the subpar AI that the elegant simplicity of M.U.L.E. is lost. It is no wonder,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1997, Wizard of the Coast One of the best computer translation of a non-computer games ever made, MicroProse’s Magic: The Gathering not only deserves a Hall of Fame status for its faithful rendition of Wizard of the Coast’s blockbuster trading…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Manny Granillo & Briscoe Rodgers GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1994, Mindscape Legions is an ignored war/strategy game from Mindscape, designed for Windows 3.1. Its a simple and unique strategy game, but has some serious flaws with it. For starters, although it runs in Windows 95/98,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:BevelStone GAME PUBLISHER:BevelStone Copyright 1995, BevelStone One of the most ambitious shareware wargames ever made, Fields of Battle is a strategic simulation of World War I on the strategic level. While the grognards will likely be disappointed at the absence of tactical options and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1995, MicroProse This Means War! is a rarely known beer-and-pretzel isometric strategy game from MicroProse, released in 1996 for Windows 3.1. With a focus on light-hearted action and a sense of humor, the game plays like a distant cousin of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jason Templeman & Arthur DiBianca GAME DEVELOPER:Logic Factory, The GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1995, Logic Factory, The Ascendancy is an ambitious space strategy game that is full of innovative ideas. Unfortunately, it also has one of the worst computer AIs of all time. The AI was so…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Meier GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1993, MicroProse When Sid Meier’s masterpiece Civilization was first released in 1991, it seemed to be the ideal pioneer of multi-player gaming. At that time, though, on-line gaming was still in its infancy, and so the idea of a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Phil Steinmeyer GAME DEVELOPER:New World Computing GAME PUBLISHER:New World Computing Copyright 1994, New World Computing Iron Cross is an ambitious but disappointing real-time wargame that lets you control infantry, artillery and armor units on various battlefields and you can play either the Axis or the Allies.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Microids GAME PUBLISHER:Software Toolworks Copyright 1992, Microids A highly underrated empire building game, Ultimate Domain (or Genesia as it is known in Europe) plays a bit like a cross between Bullfrog’s Populous and Sid Meier’s Civilization, but with some unique twists. The plot goes…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brodie Lockard GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1986, Activision One of the first Mahjongg games ever made, Shanghai is a solid computer version of the popular Chinese parlor game, although it takes a lot of patience to move each tile, as there is no mouse support.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Randall Masteller GAME DEVELOPER:Virgin Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1990, Virgin Interactive A semi-sequel to Mastertronic’s earlier House of Cards and one of the first games Mastertronic released as “Virgin Mastertronic” under the new ownership of Virgin, Caesar’s Palace uses basically the same engine as its…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Randall Masteller GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1989, Mastertronic House of Cards is a good collection of 6 of the most popular card parlor games from Mastertronic, and may well have been the last game Mastertronic released before their being taken over by Virgin to form…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Virgin Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1989, Virgin Interactive A decent, but dull, computerized version of a popular Parker Brothers board game of the same name, Clue Master Detective is based on the Master Detective version of Clue that was first released in England.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bridget McKenna GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1991, Sierra On-Line After the lackluster Hoyle Volume 2, Sierra returns to the formula that made Hoyle Volume 1 a classic in this third entry in the series. Instead of popular card games, Hoyle Volume 3 offers…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Warren Schwader GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1990, Sierra On-Line The second volume in Sierra’s Hoyle series based on the authoritative guide to parlor games, Hoyle Volume 2 features 26 solitaire games, all complete with synopsis of rules. The games range from the popular…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Warren Schwader GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1989, Sierra On-Line First and best in Sierra’s underrated series of computerized parlor games based on the most popular anthology book of the same name, Hoyle Official Book of Games features six popular care games: crazy eights,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ali Atabek GAME DEVELOPER:Mindcraft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindcraft Copyright 1993, Mindcraft Last and arguably best in Mindcraft’s short-lived series of tactical wargames that began with Siege, Wall of Rome is another step up from the much-improved Ambush at Sorinor. This time, fantasy units have been replaced by historical…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mindcraft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindcraft Copyright 1993, Mindcraft Ambush at Sorinor is an improved sequel to Siege with a lot of needed improvements such as campaign mode and better unit variety. Athough it’s just a string of all missions played in consecutive order, the campaign mode…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mindcraft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindcraft Copyright 1992, Mindcraft Mindcraft’s first tactical fantasy game Siege and the expansion pack Dogs of War is decent tactical combat game featuring tons of scenarios, units, and even a decent plot. In this cross between SSG’s Warlords and EA’s classic Rampart,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Carlo Perconti GAME DEVELOPER:Chip GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1989, Brderbund A great conversion of underrated Amiga game of the same name, Joan of Arc: The Siege & The Sword is a fun strategy game about one of the most intriguing historical personages who has rarely been depicted…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Intelligent Chess Software GAME PUBLISHER:Intelligent Chess Software Copyright 1985, Intelligent Chess Software One of the world’s first chess games designed for experts, Cyrus is also unfortunately one of the least known due to limited distribution. Which is a shame, because the game not only…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1994, Interplay Space Federation (or Star Reach as it is known in the U.S.) is fun action/strategy space opera that tries to combine the furious action elements of Star Control and solid AI of Master of Orion but ends up…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Falkner GAME DEVELOPER:Sirius Software GAME PUBLISHER:Sirius Software Copyright 1982, Sirius Software One of the first abstract wargames ever made, Call to Arms is unfortunately not among the best, although it is by no means a bad game. There are only 2 maps to choose from:…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ted Schmeckpepper GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1986, Ted Schmeckpepper A classic wargame, Lords of Conquest is an abstract simulation that is easy to learn and play. The game is based on a little-known board wargame of the same name, and fortunately is a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Oxford Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1991, Oxford Softworks Oxford Softworks and Interplay’s first bridge game, Omar Sharif on Bridge won endorsement by famous actor and world-class bridge player Omar Sharif, and for good reason. The game is an excellent full-featured bridge game, with excellent…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Hal McCrery GAME DEVELOPER:StarSoft Development GAME PUBLISHER:Keypunch Copyright 1988, Keypunch Probably one of Keypunch’s best releases, Santa Paravia and Fumaccio is a fun empire management game with a strong emphasis on economics. Up to 8 players compete against each other in a bid to become the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Frank Hunter GAME DEVELOPER:Adanac GAME PUBLISHER:Adanac Copyright 1995, Adanac The Road from Sumter to Appomattox, released in 1993, is an ambitious simulation of the American Civil War — from start to finish. The initial responses were less than overwhelming, with mediocre graphics and bugs that made…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Fotland GAME DEVELOPER:Ishi Press International GAME PUBLISHER:Ishi Press International Copyright 1992, Ishi Press International Probably the best Go game for beginners on the market, The Many Faces of Go is a great computer version of the popular Japanese board game that is simple to learn,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeffrey Wickersham GAME DEVELOPER:TigLon Software GAME PUBLISHER:TigLon Software Copyright 1990, TigLon Software Decision at Gettysburg is an awful wargame that deserves mention only as the first VGA graphics wargame ever made. This operational simulation of the Gettysburg Campaign suffers from the lack of a friendly user…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1991, Impressions A boring precursor to Impressions’ vastly improved High Seas Trader, Merchant Colony is an 18th century trading game that suffers from the same syndrome that characterizes all Impressions games of that period: long, tedious lists of statistics presented…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Lester GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1992, Impressions Veteran wargamer M. Evan Brooks said it all in his synopsis of the game: “The 500th Anniversary of Columbus was PIC (politically incorrect). The movies, televisions, books quickly became major “busts”. This game was no different —…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Lester GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1992, Impressions Veteran wargamer M. Evan Brooks said it all in his synopsis of the game: “Multi-scenario options for strategic air supremacy in the Middle East. The scenarios themselves were detailed and somewhat esoteric, e.g. Bahrain vs. Qatar (actually…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Goodman GAME DEVELOPER:Swifte International GAME PUBLISHER:Swifte International Copyright 1993, Swifte International Veteran wargame reviewer M. Evan Brooks sums it up succinctly in his synopsis of this marginal underdog: “Released to tie-in with the four-hour Turner movie, this simulation was a workmanlike albeit simplistic product. In…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ian Currie GAME DEVELOPER:Sir-Tech GAME PUBLISHER:Sir-Tech Copyright 1994, Sir-Tech One of the most addictive games ever made in any genre, Jagged Alliance is a great strategy game that successfully combines the outstanding squad-level gameplay of X-COM with an unprecedented level of personalities and RPG elements that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Lester GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1993, Impressions After years of false starts and misdirected attention with its flawed “Micro Miniatures” series, Impressions finally found their true calling in Caesar, a great city and empire management game that can aptly be labeled Sim City in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1992, Impressions Cohort II is a significant upgrade of Impressions’ earlier Cohort. Aside from an upgrade of graphics (to VGA this time) and gameplay, this version is part of an interlocking game system module with Caesar, which allows the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1991, Merit Studios In veteran wargamer M. Evan Brooks’ words, “a clumsy interface coupled with mediocre graphics shows why British products are generally not ready for the American market.” Still, Cohort is one of the first detailed game…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1991, Impressions The third offering in the infamous “Micro Miniatures” series, Fort Apache is virtually identical to the previous two releases, Rorke’s Drift and Charge of The Light Brigade, except for a different premise and different unit clothes. The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1991, Impressions Charge of the Light Brigade is Impressions’ recreation of one of the most idiotic military “battles” ever fought: the Crimean War of 1854 – 56 between Turkey and Russia, which led to a famous poem of the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1990, Impressions Rorke’s Drift was the first game in Impressions’ little-known “Micro Miniature” series of games that are based on the same engine. Although it is a worthy attempt to portray the little-known battle of the Anglo-Zulu War, it…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1993, Impressions Probably one of the worst Civil War games ever made, M. Evan Brooks sums it up well in his synopsis of this ambitious wargame from Impressions: “[The Blue and The Gray depicts] the American Civil War, with…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1994, Impressions Veteran wargame reviewer M. Evan Brooks sums it up succinctly in his synopsis of this marginal underdog: “D-Day: The Beginning of The End is a wargame that portrays the amphibious invasion of Festung Europa, based on The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1992, Impressions Conquest of Japan is a pseudo-historical game set in 16th century Japan. As a Daimyo (i.e. ruler) of a state, your goal is to conquer your opponenent’s state to claim ownership of the entire island of Honshu.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Lester GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1994, Impressions Global Domination is an awful multiplayer real-time game of world conquest that is bogged down by very confusing interface and boring display of bland statistics that most Impressions games suffer from. The gameplay most resembles boardgame RISK,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Grabowski GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1993, Impressions Impressions’ conquer-the-universe game that could be considered a sequel to Global Domination, When Two Worlds War is not your typical divide-and-conquer game, although it still suffers somewhat from Impressions’ “Excel spreadsheet overload” syndrome evident in their early…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Marcel Strbak GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Marcel Strbak Sid Meier’s Pirates! remains to this day one of the most famous strategy games ever made. A lot of people were disappointed when MicroProse released a poor remake called Pirates! Gold in 1993, and felt the…