Category: Strategy and War Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Graham Lilly GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1994, Avalon Hill Avalon Hill’s first release after long absence is a severely underrated and undersold game. Kingmaker is a wonderful PC conversion of an AH board game. Choose to be either Lancaster or York in the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mirrorsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbow Arts Copyright 1990, Rainbow Arts Khalaan is a fun and unique strategy game set in a fictional Arab country. The game’s exotic setting is blended into gameplay to great effect: you will have the opportunity to engage in swordfights, Saracen-style, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1993, Electronic Arts No doubt the most underrated chess game ever, Kasparov’s Gambit features a powerful chess engine that used to tie World Champion Gary Kasparov, a comprehensive database of past matches, and –best of all– Gary Kasparov…

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 1987, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “A tactical simulation of warfare on the Eastern Front, this game was CGW’s Game of the Year in 1985. Multiple options, but marred by a lack of joystick…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Warren Schwader GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1992, Sierra On-Line A real “sleeper” hit for Sierra, this tongue-in-cheek game is all about catching up with the Jones, as popular saying goes. Get enrolled in school, pay rent, buy material necessities… and make sure you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Publishing International GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1990, Publishing International This little known PC version of a popular Japanese board game is similar to Go in that it is easy to learn by hard to master. The object of the game is to fill up the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Channel 7 GAME PUBLISHER:Channel 7 Copyright 1994, Channel 7 A great but sorely underrated space strategy game, Iron Seed recalls the venerable classic Starflight series in its breadth and scope, but is more focused on the strategic and tactical issues than that classic. Numerous…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Oxford Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:Oxford Softworks Copyright 1993, Oxford Softworks One of the best collection of board games ever made, this compilation by Oxford Softworks includes 10 of the most popular parlor games from around the world: Go, Renju, 4-in-a-Line, Othello, Gomoku, Backgammon, Chinese Chess,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Johan Schilcher GAME DEVELOPER:JoWood Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1998, Interactive Magic A game that apparently tries to emulate Chris Sawyer’s excellent Transport Tycoon in look and gameplay, turning it into a business sim that encompasses all industries. Despite the noble attempt, the game unfortunately comes…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1986, Avalon Hill Incunabula is an uninspiring game of population growth and development. move your stacks of counters across the board, giving them room to grow and move them to engage hostile forces. The game is interesting in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Carey DeVuono GAME DEVELOPER:Hollywood Mogul Company, The GAME PUBLISHER:Hollywood Mogul Company, The Copyright 1995, Carey DeVuono This is undoubtedly the BEST game of its kind: take control of a movie studio and build a motion picture empire. Just about every factor related to movie-making is implemented,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Greg Carter GAME DEVELOPER:Colorado Computer Creations GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1997, Avalon Hill “A very faithful computer translation of the board game, this covered the course of civilization from 3000 BC to 1900 AD. A quick-playing game, it divided history into seven epochs with each player…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Foster & David Lester GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Impressions Copyright 1994, Impressions A solid “high seas” strategy game that falls far short of Sid Meier’s classic Pirates! in terms of overall content and scope, but is actually better if one considers it strictly as a *trading*…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gregg Carter GAME DEVELOPER:Colorado Computer Creations GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1992, Colorado Computer Creations As the title suggests, High Command puts you in command of the Allies or Axis during the most crucial points of World War 2. In contrast to Harpoon‘s micro scale, this game…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Gremlin Copyright 1991, Gremlin A great PC version of the equally underrated board game of the same name from Games Workshop, Hero Quest is an isometric tabletop strategy/RPG game that simplifies RPG statistics without simplifying gameplay. As in the board game, up…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:German Design Group GAME PUBLISHER:Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) Copyright 1993, Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) A solid medieval conquer-thy-neighbor game, this game features excellent AI and a good balance between economic and military options. It is similar to Impressions’ Lords of the Realm although the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dani Bunten GAME DEVELOPER:Ozark Softscape GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1987, Ozark Softscape From Brian Moriarty’s tribute to Dani Bunten: “Ozark wanted to follow up Seven Cities [of Gold] with a computerized edition of one of the classic Avalon Hill board games, but Electronic Arts had other…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Claude Cueni GAME DEVELOPER:Micro League GAME PUBLISHER:Micro League Copyright 1994, Micro League Hannibal is one of the few games that focus on the second Punic War– you control the formidable Carthagian army –on elephant backs– with the ultimate goal to conquer Rome. The game is realistic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Winchell Chung GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1984, Avalon Hill “Based on the more successful boardgame of the same name, its play mechanics were clumsy. However, its graphics were even worse, and the color scheme had to be one of the worst ever seen…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bruce Williams Zaccagnino & Thurston Searfoss GAME DEVELOPER:Fogstone Enterprises GAME PUBLISHER:Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) Copyright 1993, Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) As Lost Admiral II was never released, The Grandest Fleet should be considered the sequel to The Lost Admiral. It is essentially The Lost Admiral dressed…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Fotland GAME DEVELOPER:Ishi Press International GAME PUBLISHER:Oxford Softworks Copyright 1991, Ishi Press International Go Simulator is one of the better PC versions of Go, a classic Japanese boardgame. The goal is simple: capture your opponent’s pieces by surrounding them with your pieces. You win if…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Millennium GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1992, Millennium A neat and unique strategy game from the makers of excellent Supremacy, Global Effect puts a new spin on the “conquer-thy-neighbor” genre by focusing on the environmental impact of your decisions. For instance, let loose a nuke or…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dani Bunten GAME DEVELOPER:Microplay GAME PUBLISHER:Microplay Copyright 1992, Microplay From Brian Moriarty’s tribute to Dani Bunten: “[Command HQ‘s successor, 1992’s Global Conquest, was the first four-player network game released by a major publisher. Its absorbing mix of real-time action and resource development was the design prototype…

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 1986, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Gettysburg: The Turning Point is a classic wargame. If you can get by the CGA graphics and lack of mouse support interface, you will soon…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kou Shibusawa GAME DEVELOPER:KOEI GAME PUBLISHER:KOEI Copyright 1991, KOEI In my opinion the second-best KOEI series after Romance of The Three Kingdoms, this series is based on the awe-inspiring exploits of Temujin, a.k.a. Genghis Khan, the Mongol ruler who once ruled the biggest empire in the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kou Shibusawa GAME DEVELOPER:KOEI GAME PUBLISHER:KOEI Copyright 1989, KOEI In my opinion the second-best KOEI series after Romance of The Three Kingdoms, this series is based on the awe-inspiring exploits of Temujin, a.k.a. Genghis Khan, the Mongol ruler who once ruled the biggest empire in the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kou Shibusawa GAME DEVELOPER:KOEI GAME PUBLISHER:KOEI Copyright 1992, KOEI The Imagination Series games are admittedly the worst of KOEI’s games, and this first offering unfortunately doesn’t bode well for the future of the series. In an amalgam of a plot involving dragons, wizards, and rival aristocratic…

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 1993, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) M. Evan. Brooks: “An operational/strategic simulation of the entire Eastern Front (1941-1945), this game was easily learned and played; sheer size and certain defects in the artificial intelligence…

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 1992, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “THE simulation of the Pacific. Graphically acceptable, its strength lay in the sheer data and scope of the campaign. In all truth, I find it overwhelming, but I…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1997, Gremlin In all respects a greatly revamped version of Amiga classic K240 space strategy game. Similar to its predecessor, this is one of those games that you will love for the rest of your life, one of those games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Berlyn & Marc Blank GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1985, Infocom A brief but notable foray into the board game market by the masters of interactive fiction, Fooblitzsky is a novel attempt to use the PC to assist in playing a board game (e.g. roll…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Celeris GAME PUBLISHER:Celeris Copyright 1993, Celeris This early game by Virtual Pool developer is a fun jigsaw puzzle game with a novel concept: each jigsaw piece is animated the way it will be in a completed picture, so you need to synchronize animations as…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Bambra & Adrian Earle GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1993, MicroProse This is a wonderful tactical miniature wargame set in the Napoleonic era– with excellent animations of units that predates Sid Meier’s Gettysburg. Take control of either France or Britain and see if you can…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dan Cermak GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1996, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Of all SSI’s releases in the “5-star” series based on the acclaimed engine of Panzer General, Fantasy General is my most favorite and one of the most underrated.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Denis Dyack & Rick Goertz GAME DEVELOPER:Silicon Knights GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1993, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Definitely one of the best fantasy games ever made, Fantasy Empires is an incredibly addictive fantasy strategy game that combines real-time tactical combat, numerous strategic options, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steven Faber GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1983, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) As officer of the United Nations World Health, your job is to respond quickly and effectively with nuclear strikes to stem a global epidemic. While gameplay is somewhat…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brad Wardell GAME DEVELOPER:Stardock Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Stardock Systems Copyright 1996, Stardock Systems This sleeper hit of 1997 is an excellent business simulation that, similar to Capitalism Plus, encompasses every aspect of business, from choosing what products to sell, to marketing it across countries. However, the game…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:R. T. Smith GAME DEVELOPER:Cases Computer Simulations GAME PUBLISHER:Cases Computer Simulations Copyright 1988, Cases Computer Simulations This gem was supposed to be the first in a series by a small English company. The reviews at the time were glowing, but unfortunately the game didn’t sell well.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mark Baldwin GAME DEVELOPER:White Wolf Productions GAME PUBLISHER:New World Computing Copyright 1993, Killer Bee Software A great update of the classic Interstel game Empire, this version by New World Computing sports excellent map and scenario editors, sharp graphics, and the same attention to detail and great…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mark Baldwin GAME DEVELOPER:Interstel GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1987, Walter Bright Mark Baldwin and Walter Bright’s groundbreaking wargame deservedly received public acclaim over a decade ago, but it has sadly faded from the collective gaming memory to such a large extent that it’s more or less an…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrew Greenberg & Ken Lighter GAME DEVELOPER:Holistic Design GAME PUBLISHER:Segasoft Copyright 1996, Holistic Design Holistic Design is one of the most overlooked developer ever– they never seemed to pick the right publishers that would promote the games for what they are: deep, solid, and wholly engrossing…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Connelly GAME DEVELOPER:Everlasting GAME PUBLISHER:Everlasting Copyright 1987, Everlasting The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey ranks among the most unique and imaginative fantasy novels ever created, so it is not surprising that a strategy game based on its world would be of the most…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrew Bailey GAME DEVELOPER:Palace Software GAME PUBLISHER:Palace Software Copyright 1990, Palace Software Yet another Amiga hit that failed to impress the PC market, Dragon’s Breath(a.k.a. Dragon Lord) is a great fantasy strategy game that puts you in control of an army of dragons in your quest…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SDJ Enterprises GAME PUBLISHER:SDJ Enterprises Copyright 1988, SDJ Enterprises This is a simplistic but fun board game that needs 6 people to play (you’d think they could come up with a decent computer AI by 1988….) as various characters from Bram Stoker’s novel. The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Blue Byte GAME PUBLISHER:Blue Byte Copyright 1997, Blue Byte Dr. Drago’s Madcap Chase is a unique strategy game for up to 8 players that is similar to Monopoly on a grand scale. The object of the game is to reach various destinations first and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Beermat Software GAME PUBLISHER:Beermat Software Copyright 1999, Beermat Software DopeWars is a unique simulation of an imaginary drug market, based on John E. Dell’s DOS-based Drug Wars game that was popular on numerous BBS’s in the mid 1990s. Your goal is to make as…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Virtual Concepts Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1994, US Gold One of those true classics that broke the mould and proved to be a building block in the creation of other clones. Dominus gives you control over a small kingdom just before hoardes of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:DigiTek GAME PUBLISHER:DigiTek Copyright 1990, DigiTek A fun fantasy boardgame that was equally ignored on the Amiga and PC, Dino Wars puts you in control of an army of dinosaurs as they fight the opposite tribe to capture the egg. Each piece’s legal moves…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Christopher Wieland GAME DEVELOPER:Cyberdyne Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Cyberdyne Systems Copyright 1995, Cyberdyne Systems This follow-up of sorts to Mad TV (designed by the same designer) is based on the same engine and look, but unfortunately it lacks the charm and wit that make Mad TV an underground…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Roger Keating & Ian Trout GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Studies Group (SSG) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Studies Group (SSG) Copyright 1992, Strategic Studies Group (SSG) Decisive Battles in American Civil War games were an early attempt by SSG to offer an accurate portral of the war that became a hit…