Category: Strategy and War Games

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) Battle of Antietam is the third Civil War game after Shiloh and Rebel Charge at Chickamauga by Chuck Kroegel & David Landrey, who also designed…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1989, Interplay Too bad many people are discouraged to play this game because they think Chinese Chess is either not interesting or too difficult to learn. Nothing can be further from the truth! Chinese Chess is easy to learn, especially…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dennis Caswell GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Dynamix Dynamix entered the wargaming arena with this surprising gem, sporting off-the-wall humor and original premise: as commander of an army of ants and other insects, lead your troops to victory over the enemy (another insect tribe).…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kou Shibusawa GAME DEVELOPER:KOEI GAME PUBLISHER:KOEI Copyright 1989, KOEI Close to 600 years after the events chronicled in KOEI’s better-known Romance of The Three Kingdoms,the weak royal court inspired the rise of legendary bandits who proclaimed themselves kings. This game is best described as a more…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Juha Kauppinen GAME DEVELOPER:Webfoot Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Webfoot Technologies Copyright 1997, Juha Kauppinen Assault Trooper is a fun isometric real-time game that’s like Cannon Fodder meets X-COM : command your troops through top secret missions all over the globe. The game is fun and the action furious,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Singleton GAME DEVELOPER:GameTek GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1993, GameTek Ashes of Empire is an intriguing espionage action/strategy fusion inspired by the tumultous events in Eastern Europe in the early ’90s. As Mike Singleton’s last and biggest game, Ashes of Empire features a much-improved engine first seen…

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:R. T. Smith GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Anonymous Copyright 1992, R. T. Smith In this updated version of his solid space strategy game, released after Interstel’s demise, R.T. Smith adds a lot of gameplay options (including multiplayer mode) and vastly improved graphics that makes a good game…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:R. T. Smith GAME DEVELOPER:Interstel GAME PUBLISHER:Interstel Copyright 1991, Interstel Interstel ended its troubled career on a strong note that unfortunately went unnoticed: Armada 2525 is a space strategy game that looks and feels like a solid update of the venerable Starfleet, although computer AI is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:A. D. Boyse & J. G. Langdale-Brown GAME DEVELOPER:PSS GAME PUBLISHER:PSS Copyright 1986, PSS This early precursor to Impression’s superb Caesar series is a complex strategy/war game that, unlike its contemporaries, emphasizes economic and personnel aspects as much as military ones. Contend with internal affairs, including…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave & Barry Murry GAME DEVELOPER:Evryware GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1984, Brderbund Before Dave Murry and Barry Murry designed the seminal The Ancient Art of War in 1984, best-selling wargames like SSI’s Kampfgruppe bear no resemblance to best-selling strategy games like M.U.L.E. As a result, strategy gamers…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Murry & Barry Murry GAME DEVELOPER:Evryware GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1990, Evryware In 1992 MicroProse published the brothers’ last game in the series, The Ancient Art of War in the Skies, which disappointed fans because it introduces arcade elements into the game, isn’t as deep as…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave & Barry Murry GAME DEVELOPER:Evryware GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1987, Brderbund Barry and Dave Murry follows up on the ground-breaking Ancient Art of War (AAOW) with Ancient Art of War in The Sea, a logical offshoot. Although the game engine remains virtually unchanged, much more content…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:George Morimisato GAME DEVELOPER:TMA GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1988, TMA Anacreon: Reconstruction is, without a doubt, one of –if not THE– best strategy games ever made. It was released in the 1988 and bombed, mostly due to its high price and ASCII graphics. It is a 1…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joe Ybarra GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Dynamix Designed by Joe Ybarra, designer of the classic Starflight games, Alien Legacy is an excellent space strategy game with a good dose of adventure and action elements thrown in. In the tradition of Starflight, explore and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Norv Brooks GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1996, Avalon Hill Advanced Civilization is another one of Avalon Hill’s classic board games of which they made a faithfull conversion. Unless one has actually played the board game and realizes what’s going on, however, the can…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joe Balkowski & Mike Innella GAME DEVELOPER:Stanley Associates GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1995, Stanley Associates One of the best board-style wargames ever made, 5th Fleet is a great naval simulation based on Avalon Hill board game of the same name. PC Gamer review has the lowdown…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Barcia GAME DEVELOPER:SimTex GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1993, Avalon Hill Undeniably SimTex’ most underrated game, 1830 is a complex and faithful PC conversion of Avalon Hill’s popular boardgame. As with SimTex’ other games, strong computer AI keeps the gameplay fresh and interesting even in the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Wilfried Reiter GAME DEVELOPER:Max Design GAME PUBLISHER:Max Design Copyright 1993, Max Design 1869 is a fun 17th century trading game that is similar to its contemporary High Seas Trader but with more emphasis on trading and planning routes than on naval navigation. The game also (perhaps…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Evans GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Steve Evans Shogi Variants is a great freeware game for Windows 3.x and up that boasts a wide range of variants of Shogi, a popular Japanese chess game. The official description says it all: Shogi Variants is a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Sackson & George Crawshay GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, George Crawshay Choice is a great freeware PC version of an excellent dice game designed by Sid Sackson, of Acquire fame, first included in his A Gamut of Games book and later released as a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Sackson & George Crawshay GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, George Crawshay Monad is an excellent freeware PC version of Sid Sacksons classic card/board game of the same name, released as Die 1 Million in Germany. The wonderful description at this Sid Sackson fan site…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Sackson & George Crawshay GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, George Crawshay Cant Stop is an excellent freeware PC version of the Parker Brothers board game of the same name designed by Sid Sackson, legendary board game designer (Acquire, Domination, and dozens others). The game…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Lester GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1996, Impressions Space Bucks is one of the most overlooked strategy games from Impressions, maker of the successful Caesar series. Although the game is not as bad as Impressions? notorious Rise and Rule of Ancient Empire, it?s not…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dan Samuel GAME DEVELOPER:Synthetic Reality GAME PUBLISHER:Synthetic Reality Copyright 1997, Synthetic Reality Not to be confused with the Playstation game of the same name, Warpath 97 is a great game of galactic conquest that boasts one of the most intriguing diplomacy modules I have seen. The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1996, Dynamix One of the best giant robot strategy games ever made, bar none. MissionForce: Cyberstorm from Dynamix is a hex-based, top-down, turn-based wargame set in the same universe as Earthsiege, an earlier Dynamix classic. You control a fleet…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Natsume GAME PUBLISHER:Natsume Copyright 1997, Natsume Harvest Moon is one of the best examples of Japanese developers creative powers. First released for the Super Nintendo in 1997, the game went on to attract a loyal following and spawn many sequels on the Playstation, Gameboy,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Frank Hunter GAME DEVELOPER:Adanac GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Adanac Arguably the best simulation of the American Civil War ever made, The American Civil War: From Sumter to Appomattox is the third incarnation in Frank Hunter?s Road from Sumter to Appomattox series that his company Adanac first…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Atlevcah GAME PUBLISHER:Atlevcah Copyright 2001, Atlevcah WinHanafuda is an excellent Windows version of Hanafuda, a traditional Japanese card game. Hanafuda cards are often known as ‘flower cards’, because each suit is depicted by a different flower. There are many rule variations for Hana-fuda, but…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Fred Gitelman GAME DEVELOPER:Bridge Base GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Bridge Base Learn to Play Bridge is a solid Windows-based tutorial that teaches the basics of bridge to beginners withwell-designed presentations and clear instructions. Although it’s not a “game” in a sense that you cannot play bridge…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simon & Schuster GAME PUBLISHER:Simon & Schuster Copyright 1996, Simon & Schuster One of the most underrated chess games ever made, Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess from Simon & Schuster is the best instructional chess programs I?ve ever seen, bar none. International chess master Maurice…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Edwin Kiser & Scott Jones GAME DEVELOPER:IBM GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1986, IBM Imperial Space Command is a fun sci-fi wargame designed as an internal game for IBM’s employees. The game is a novel multiplayer game that lets up to 8 players (any of whom can be…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Simpson GAME DEVELOPER:Mirrorsoft GAME PUBLISHER:PSS Copyright 1989, Mirrorsoft Final Frontier is a decent futuristic wargame that puts you in control of various robot military units. The game is one of Mirrorsoft’s least known games, and for good reason: aside from the notable fact that this…