War College, The (a.k.a. Universal Military Simulator 3)
The four battles included in the initial package (promised add-ons unfortunately never materialized) cover four classic eras of military history: Caesar and Pompey duke it out melee-style at Pharsalus; Napoleon out-maneuvers the Allies at Austerlitz; Lee and McLellan savage each other at Antietam; and the outnumbered Germans take on the "Russian Steamroller" at Tannenberg in 1914.
Each battle is supported by an excellent interactive historical reference section, filled with hyperlinked subjects you can explore in great detail. If you access the Austerlitz section, for instance, youll find 44 topics in the table of contents; very impressive indeed.
Obviously, this program is aimed at the serious student of military history rather than the casual gamer. Beginners to the genre should be able to get the hang of the game pretty quickly, however, thank to its friendly user interface and excellent references. Overall, The War College is a mature, deep, thoughtful simulation that embodies a radical departure from the wargaming norm. The AI is none too bright, but the game does introduce many innovative features that unfortunately not picked upon in later games. Recommended to all armchair commanders, but be warned of the less-than-intelligent AI.
Average Rating: | 6.78 [47 votes] |
Genre: | War |
Designer: | Ezra Sidran |
Developer: | GameTek |
Publisher: | GameTek |
Year: | 1995 |
Software Copyright: | GameTek |
Theme: | Historical, World Wars |
Multiplayer: | |
Related Links: | |
More Info: | Mobygames | The Web |
System Requirements: | DOS |
If you like this game, try: | UMS, UMS II: Nations at War, Austerlitz |
Thanks to... | |
Technical Notes: |
Screenshots © The Good Old Days