Battles of Napoleon
[ All ] [ Apple II ] [ Commodore 64 ] [ DOS ]
Player Reviews
Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 5 ratings with 1 reviews)
Very detailed and complex; challenging, but fun
The Good
This was the first computer wargame I ever bought and played (I was probably 12 or 13 at the time). At that age, I was more concerned with jumping in and blowing the bad guy up -- so I largely ignored most of the thick manual, and just began wildly throwing my units around the map, waiting for my imminent victory.
I didn't do very well.
This is not a fast-paced action game... this game requires you to give each scenario both high-level (strategic) and low-level (tactical) consideration. Your field commanders skill and proximity can be just as important as number of men and weapons. Even though I never personally participated in any warfighting in the Napoleonic era, this "feels" realistic to me.
Once you get the hang of it, the game is fun, if a bit long. It is very much a thinking person's game; the level of detail, while extreme, adds to the realism.
The Bad
To a casual wargamer, the level of detail is probably too high. As an example, here are some of the things which can affect how well a given unit does when attacking:
**The Bottom Line**
Gameplay is fun, but not quick and not easy. Chances are, all but the most combat-hardened battlefield commanders will have to replay the scenarios a few times in order to get the hang of it all. Oh yeah... there is also a construction set with this game. But I didn't even touch on that part in my review. Suffice to say that you can exercise minute control over almost every single statistic in the game, and then create your own scenarios. Some of the game mechanics can't be changed (formations, terrain modifiers, map graphics), but you can still do a lot. This might be good practice; design a one-sided battle to play through and win, then gradually add more bad guys.
DOS · by Mirrorshades2k (274) · 2007
Contributors to this Entry
Critic reviews added by Patrick Bregger, Hello X), firefang9212.