Panzer General

The Good
I have a high end computer, with up to date graphics cards, tons of memory and have played many modern day WW2 games, including company heroes, but nothing compares to Panzer General in game play. This intriguing dos game puts you in command as a German General Tank commander, with the objective of conquering Europe and beyond. There is a huge variety of equipment available to you starting off with small panzer s with twin machine guns to huge King tigers with 88mm guns.

The game itself is a history lesson, and encouraged my interest in German weaponry during this era. You have prestige which you use to build up an army. Not only do you control tanks, but you must purchase, fighters, tactical bombers, level bombers,infantry, anti-tank, artillery, air defense, anti-aircraft vehicles, recon units etc..The AI is very clever, and you need a certain amount of each unit to successful complete missions. If you do very well, you can change History. Try attacking fortified towns with tanks and watch them get blown to pieces, you have to soften the towns up with artillery, level bombing and infantry, at the same time you are getting hit by anti-aircraft, counter artillery and stubborn soldiers who doggedly hold on to towns. This game forces you to learn and understand what each units function is and how best to use them.

The Bad
Save your game regularly, one stupid move or placing your units in incorrect layout could mean you have a much tougher fight, or lose the chance of getting a "Major Victory". Worst, you could lose a tank which you have upgraded and which had battle honors going back to Poland, all because you charged it into a Soviet Anti-Tank Ambush! without recon work first.

The Bottom Line
I often come back to this dos based game time and time again. Recently fans created a Windows upgrade called Panzer General forever which brings this game to enthusiasts who do not wish to go through the dos box route. This is a Chess type, turn based game and should be looked at in that context.

WW2 war equipment enthusiast will appreciate this game, and encourage them to look up equipment that they use to combat there enemies. Enthusiasts have made mods, and added more historical equipment as well. Game players will also learn that German tanks during the initial years were really inferior to those of the British and Soviets and only when the Panzer IV G's and H's came out in later part of the war, were the Germans on equal footing.