Category: Strategy and War Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Nielsen GAME DEVELOPER:Internecine GAME PUBLISHER:RAW Entertainment Copyright 1991, RAW Entertainment Fireteam 2200 is a detailed and complex wargame about tactical ground combat in the 23rd century. The usual trappings of a galactic conquest game are here: many star systems to explore and conquer, R&D capabilities,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Hamilton GAME DEVELOPER:HPS Simulations GAME PUBLISHER:HPS Simulations Copyright 1994, HPS Simulations In M. Evan Brooks’ words, Tigers on The Prowl is: “…a detailed simulation of World War II’s Eastern Front, this program has growth potential. Initially bug-ridden, its designer has labored in a Herculean fashion…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ezra Sidran GAME DEVELOPER:Rainbird GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbird Copyright 1988, Rainbird A poor man’s Empire, UMS is a very ambitious abstract wargame that attracts a minor following among hardcore wargamers, but fails in the bigger market. M. Evan Brooks sums it up in his synopsis: “A visual feast,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ezra Sidran GAME DEVELOPER:MicroPlay GAME PUBLISHER:MicroPlay Copyright 1990, Microplay A superior sequel to Rainbird’s Ultimate Military Simulator (UMS), UMS II: Nations at War features improved campaign mode, and much more control over units. Veteran wargamer M. Evan Brooks defends the game against critics in his synopsis:…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bruce Wilcox GAME DEVELOPER:Nemesis Enterprises GAME PUBLISHER:Nemesis Enterprises Copyright 1991, Nemesis Enterprises This is a solid Go game that isn’t as good as Ishi Press’ Go Simulator, but has more teaching options. From a review at British Go Association: “[Nemesis: The Go Master] is primarily a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Chip GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbow Arts Copyright 1989, Chip Day of the Pharaoh is a solid action-oriented strategy game set in the exotic land of ancient Egypt. The game is best described as Centurion: Defender of Rome in Egypt, if not as good: it has strategic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeff Lapkoff GAME DEVELOPER:Incredible Simulations, Inc. (ISI) GAME PUBLISHER:Incredible Simulations, Inc. (ISI) Copyright 1996, Incredible Simulations, Inc. (ISI) As the clouds of the rainy season in Natal disappeared, a new storm brewed on the border between the British colony and Zululand in 1879. By January 11,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sven Vogelgesang GAME DEVELOPER:Ikarion GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1994, Ikarion This unique strategy game quietly sank when MicroProse brought it to the U.S., despite garnering considerable following in Europe. This game is similar to Impressions’ Air Bucks in that it is a business sim, only here you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) GAME PUBLISHER:Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) Copyright 1993, Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) The “lost sheep” of QQP, World War II was released with even less fanfare than QQP’s usually modest ad campaigns, perhaps because the company was hyping its more ambitious…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Keith Zabalaoui GAME DEVELOPER:Atomic Games GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1993, Avalon Hill Atomic Games, best known for the V for Victory games published by Three-Sixty, has revamped their already highly evolved engine for these “World At War” games that capture bocage battles and several interesting stalemate…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joe Balkowski GAME DEVELOPER:Stanley Associates GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1996, Avalon Hill In M. Evan Brooks‘ words: “Released with the same name as its [awful] predecessor…, this remake suffered from mediocre graphics and play value. A number of gamers swear by this; I swear at it.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Al Benincasa & Joseph Benincasa GAME DEVELOPER:RAW Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:RAW Entertainment Copyright 1989, RAW Entertainment Probably one of the best RAW wargames, White Death is a solid simulation of the famed battle of Velikiye Luki, despite very unfriendly user interface. Similar to most other wargames from…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gary Grigsby GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1991, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) ” The sequel to Second Front, this covered what most historians refer to as the “Second Front” (i.e. the war between Nazi Germany and the Western Allies, 1944-45).…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Peter Turcan GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1990, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “SSI’s import of the British simulation of the famous battle, as seen from the “commander’s eye”. Much more of a wargame than the historic staff simulations more commonly…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gary Grigsby GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1986, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “A tactical simulation of Pacific surface naval engagements during World War II. The documentation and gameplay seem to gloss over much-needed details as to what was (or should…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Lyon GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1982, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) The Warp Factor is a distant cousin of SSI’s Apple II classic Cosmic Balance . Best described as individual ship-to-ship battle in space, with simple yet addictive gameplay.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Fawkner GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Studies Group (SSG) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Studies Group (SSG) Copyright 1989, Strategic Studies Group (SSG) Warlords II Deluxe is a great game. Its limited release as compared to Warlords I, Warlords II standard, and the modern Warlords III make it a real underdog.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Norm Koger GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1996, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “A detailed examination of tactical warfare from the Mexican War (1846) to the Russo-Japanese War (1905), this allowed the gamer to “dervishly” beat up on Fuzzy-Wuzzies to his…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Norm Koger GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1992, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) M. Evan. Brooks was reserved in his review: “Armored warfare from 1918 to the near-future, this product possessed a plethora of scenarios (and more which popped up on…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Roger Damon GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1986, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) A design-your-own simulation covering warfare from a tactical level throughout history. Marred by a system more attuned to World War II tactics than to a generic battle system,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Landrey & Chuck Kroegel GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1987, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) A precursor to SSI’s more famous Sword of Aragon fantasy strategy game, War of the Lance is SSI’s first foray into the niche genre of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Singleton and Robert Clardy GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Melbourne House Copyright 1989, Melbourne House Melbourne House jumped into the fray with its own ambitious strategy/RPG that puts you in control of a wide range of characters from Lord of the Rings, starting out as Frodo…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:H.D. Long GAME DEVELOPER:Game Factory GAME PUBLISHER:Game Factory Copyright 1996, Game Factory A fun real-time strategy (RTS) game that cheerfully and skillfully rips Blizzard’s megahit Warcraft and apply it to Oriental motif. The result is one of the better yet unknown Warcraft clones that features cool…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:R. T. Smith GAME DEVELOPER:Cases Computer Simulations GAME PUBLISHER:Cases Computer Simulations Copyright 1987, Cases Computer Simulations R.T. Smith, the creator and programmer for the fabulous game Encyclopedia of War: Ancient Battles, created a trio of World War Two games a few year earlier for the Spectrum…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Vodnik GAME DEVELOPER:Realism Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Krisalis Copyright 1992, Krisalis As a re-release of Kingdoms of England, released only for the Amiga, Vikings: Fields of Conquest improves upon the Amiga version with better AI and enhancements for the PC market. The core of the game remains…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1987, Mastertronic A good collection of casino games that’s easy to play despite limited choices, Video Casino nevertheless offers solid and reasonably authentic depiction of video poker, video 21, and blackjack machines found in most casinos. What more could a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Logical Design Works GAME PUBLISHER:California Dreams Copyright 1987, California Dreams A good collection of gambling games, Vegas Gambler contains perennial Vegas favorites slots, blackjack, poker and roulette, each replete with common casino options and variants, presented in colorful graphics (for its time). One of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Keith Zabalaoui GAME DEVELOPER:Atomic Games GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1993, Three-Sixty Pacific The company’s blurb, in contrast to normal hyperbole, is an accurate description of these games: “The V for Victory series sets a new standard for computer wargames. It is the most complete, accurate, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Keith Zabalaoui GAME DEVELOPER:Atomic Games GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1993, Three-Sixty Pacific The company’s blurb, in contrast to normal hyperbole, is an accurate description of these games: “The V for Victory series sets a new standard for computer wargames. It is the most complete, accurate, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Keith Zabalaoui GAME DEVELOPER:Atomic Games GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1993, Three-Sixty Pacific The company’s blurb, in contrast to normal hyperbole, is an accurate description of these games: “The V for Victory series sets a new standard for computer wargames. It is the most complete, accurate, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Keith Zabalaoui GAME DEVELOPER:Atomic Games GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1992, Three-Sixty Pacific The company’s blurb, in contrast to normal hyperbole, is an accurate description of these games: “The V for Victory series sets a new standard for computer wargames. It is the most complete, accurate, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sean Kelly & Graeme Ing GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Gremlin Copyright 1992, Gremlin Utopia is a very unique game, which on first glance looks like nothing more than another Sim City-style game. However, there is a lot more to it than that: the city building portion is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nick Corea & Peter Fokos GAME DEVELOPER:Maxis GAME PUBLISHER:Maxis Copyright 1993, Maxis An overlooked gem, Maxis implemented the intriguing “genetic engineering” AI in this game long before Tamagotchi and Creatures caught the public’s imagination 🙂 A defected scientist has turned harmless creatures into killing machines. As…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ralph Bosson GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1985, Avalon Hill “A tactical simulation of World War II infantry and armor; it was open-ended with a versatile map maker and scenario builder.” [excerpt from M. Evan Brooks’ Homepage] Better than AH’s previous efforts, but can’t…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eiji Fukuzawa GAME DEVELOPER:KOEI GAME PUBLISHER:KOEI Copyright 1992, KOEI Uncharted Waters is the most un-KOEI game ever made by KOEI, perhaps because it is the only series not designed by Kou Shibusawa, the prolific founder of KOEI. Based on the high-seas adventure period in 17th century…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eiji Fukuzawa GAME DEVELOPER:KOEI GAME PUBLISHER:KOEI Copyright 1991, KOEI Uncharted Waters is the most un-KOEI game ever made by KOEI, perhaps because it is the only series not designed by Kou Shibusawa, the prolific founder of KOEI. Based on the high-seas adventure period in 17th century…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gary Grigsby GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1988, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “The sequel to Panzer Strike, this covered the remaining theaters of World War II (Pacific, Asia, etc.); similar to its predecessor with all of its strengths and weaknesses……

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Marc Miller & Paul Conklin GAME DEVELOPER:Paragon Software GAME PUBLISHER:Paragon Software Copyright 1992, Paragon Software Paragon’s last game is one of the best RPG / strategy hybrids ever produced, with excellent AI, lots of gameplay options, and outstanding character creation and tactical combat module that features…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:First Row Software GAME PUBLISHER:First Row Software Copyright 1990, First Row Software TV Mogul (known as Prime Time in the US) is a decent business simulation that lets you manage and run a TV station. Despite attempts to inject realism, however, the game suffers…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Logical Design Works GAME PUBLISHER:California Dreams Copyright 1988, California Dreams TrianGO is a solid computer version of the relatively unknown variation of Go, a popular Japanese boardgame. This excellent multiplayer game is played on a Chinese Checkers-style board. Each player has 14 “stones” and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Silmarils GAME PUBLISHER:Silmarils Copyright 1992, Silmarils A unique strategy / adventure game set in a hypothesized future where Earth has lost is Sun and all is plunged in snow, Transarctica puts you in command of a 1,000-ton leviathan steam engine that houses thousands of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chuck Kroegel & David Landrey GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1981, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) SSI’s first game for the PC was “… an operational simulation of the Battle of the Bulge, its most serious problem was a user interface…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Larry Butcher GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1995, Avalon Hill “A faithful adaptation of the famous boardgame, this version was the best ever done; note that this does not mean it is really good, just that it is the best ever done. The main…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bill Banks GAME DEVELOPER:Artech GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1992, Artech One of the most unique boardgames ever released is a good example of a great game concept sunk by poor execution. Theatre of War‘s original mix of chess, wargame, and boardgame elements and the real-time component…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Major Holdridge GAME DEVELOPER:Arsenal Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Major Holdridge Regarded by many wargamers as the BEST complex wargame ever made, TacOps is a simulation of modern tactical combat between US Army/US Marine Corps/Canadian Army and Russian equipped “opposing forces” (OPFOR). Most vehicles, unit organisations…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lawrence Schick GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1992, MicroProse Sword of The Samurai is a rare gem undiscovered by many gamers. It’s very strange that the game did not garner any “Hall of Fame” status in computer magazines, because it is the best game ever made…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Russell Shilling GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1989, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Regarded by many wargamers as THE best fantasy wargame ever made, SSI’s Sword of Aragon is a true precursor of later classics Conquered Kingdoms and SSI’s own Fantasy…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Perry & Nick Bruty GAME DEVELOPER:Probe Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1993, Virgin Interactive A great galactic domination game, Supremacy (known in Europe as Overlord) rivals better-known classic Master of Orion in solid gameplay and excellent AI, although with a less intuitive user interface and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:PowerC GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, PowerC Dune 2 was THE real-time strategy game that single-handedly created a new hot genre and catapulted Westwood to fame. Two years after its release, a group of Dune 2 fans created a special version of the game called…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Don L. Daglow GAME DEVELOPER:Stormfront Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1992, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) A great tactical-level strategy game set in the AD&D world, this game is SimCity meets RPG formula. Build and expand cities, recruiting the AD&D denizens (dwarves, elves, etc.) while…