Allied General

Hex fans and strategy heads ahoy, this is your dream come true! This playable demo of everyone's hex heaven has one of the best wargame engines we've seen. Fairly complicated for the casual gamer but well worth the time and effort once you get stuck in and are used to the menu systems and strategies. Using the mouse simply click the units you want to move or send into battle and click on the enemy units to attack them. Relive some of the classic battles throughout the WW2 Africa campaign.

Strategy game fans will surely remember countless hours spent hacking away at Panzer General.

Those who enjoyed that game will want to check out its sequel, Allied General for more of the best in strategy gameplay. One or two players duke it out in a war for supreme domination of Europe and Northern Africa.

The interface of the game takes some getting used to, but once you have gone through one or two missions in a campaign and gotten a feel for the control, you'll be beating enemy forces left and right. Much of the game is menu-driven, with two sides duking it out on a hexagonal map. The armies are spread over the map, positioned and ready for battle.

Difficulty can be set so beginners and the most experienced player can equally enjoy the game. For those hardcore strategy enthusiasts, it's possible to set an Enhanced Al Mode so that the challenge is super high.

Battles are mostly preset so that you've landed on the beach or are set to move forward. Some scenarios require that you manually place troops on the ground. In the first mission of the North Arcan campaign, enemies are in close range, so that moving your troops or attacking is easier. The game is separated into turns. The number of turns you are allowed varies from mission to mission, depending on the difficulty.

In Campaign Mode, you can choose to play as an American, British or Soviet General. Allied General also features a Scenario Mode which has about 35 different challenges, a few of which historically never occurred. All of them take place during World War II on the European and African front. One or two players can play a scenario, battling it out for military superiority.

To buy arms and upgrade your armies, you use the game's form of currency-Prestige Points. Winning a battle gains your side experience and prestige with which to build up your army.

Moving ground forces around is key if you want to be able to take over Benghazi quickly. Tanks and troops can move great distances very quickly, while Artillery must be transported to the action. Normally Artillery moves only one square in each direction, while with the help of a transport it can move approximately the same distance as a tank.

The landscape around each battle plays a role in which side emerges victorious. Troops hiding in the mountains or entrenched can inflict damage on ground troops attacking from a lower position. When you reach Benghazi in the first campaign, it is important to have graphics aren't what Allied General is about. SSI's Allied General brings the second game in the five-star series home. If you are into strategy gaming, Allied General packs a lot of challenge, action and intrigue into an affordable package.

Gamer's EDGE

Since Artillery does the most amount of damage, utilize it first in a battle. This will wear down the Axis' forces enough so that attacking with tanks and ground troops finishes them off or depletes them enough to not be a problem. The projected losses are not always correct. In fact, you may take out more of your opponent's forces than originally predicted.

When in a battle where your troops have been depleted to such a level that you may not be able to continue, use a turn to build them back up. Buying Elite Replacements means that you don't have to decrease the experience level of your forces. Although it's more expensive than buying regular replacements, it's better in the end.