Battleground Watorloo by Empire Interactive; £ 39.95 inc. VAT.

Battleground Waterloo is the third and most advanced CD-Rom game release in Empire Interactive's Battleground wargame series preceded by modules covering the Ardennes (1944) and Gettysburg campaigns.

The Waterloo package contains significant improvements on the first modules and offers 22 historical end 'whet-if' scenarios based closely on the battlefield events in the Waterloo area involving the British, Prussian and French forces present on the 18 June 1815. Although it is disappointing not to find scenario options included for (]uatre Bras and Ligny, the package is still an awesome 'battle-fest' for the Napoleonic wargamer.

The game designers have done some serious homework and their game notes include 33 key Napoleonic reference books and wargames rule sources, unit organisation being based solidly on Scott Bowden's Armies at Waterloo. The wargame system underpinning the game rules has similarities to Bowden's Empire Il, lII and V rules amalgamated with an Avalon Hili type hex based wargame. Those familiar with the complexities of the Bowden Empire rule system will be delighted by the relative ease and speed with which they can be managed by a computer in contrast to the practical difficulties of using them in a conventional tabletop game.

The 52 page userguide accompanying the package is highly accessible and more detailed information on the game design and army organisation I included in the scenario notes available on-line with the software once installed. Each of the 22 scenarios is managed on a Game Turn representing 15 minutes of daytime or one hour of night and are divided in five sections comprising Movement, Defensive Fire, Offensive Fire, Cavairy Charge and Melee Phases.

The phases alternate between the two opposing players and the game gives the option of playing against either a human or computer opponent from any of the three armies involved. In addition, the software gives the ingenious option of delegating all or some army command to individual historical brigade commanders - this proving useful in larger scenarios in which the entire 3 mile frontage of the Waterloo battlefield is presented. However, the drawback of delegation is the discovery that the computer commanders often prove unreliable and indolent in the face of the enemy.

3D Battlefield

The battlefield can be viewed either in close-up four-colour 3D with the units displayed as 'actual' figures in a variety of realistic formations, or optionally in a 2D hex-map display with the units shown as counters similar to the standard he-based wargame board. The 3D graphics have the look of the Siborne Waterloo diorama at the National Army Museum incorporating a discreet hex grid giving a temin effect similar to the Geo-Hex wargame's terrain with which many wargamers will be familiar. A minor frustration is the battlefield can only be viewed from the French side, that is from South to North. There are some neat graphic touches such as animated smoke bursts from firing units, and when units take casualties they remain littered across the field in the form of corpses and shattered artillery hardware.

Owing to the complexity of the unit information required by the player, a sub-menu bar is included to supplement the unit icon display giving details of unit fatigue, strength weaponry, ammunition supply and quality. This is particularly helpful when dealing with multiple units occupying the same hex area. A wealth of other useful software tools in the form of pull down menus and an optional on-screen toolbar are included which give quick access to information.

Unit can be sub~divided to the depth of infantry skirmish/cavalry squadron level which enables minor tactics to be pursued. This is excellent in the smaller scenarios where the system has to deal with literally 'swarms' of individual skirmisher (particularly French) unit activity on top of all the other units on screen.

The game relies heavily on maintaining the integrity of the historical brigade structure and the command and control ratings of the historical brigade commanders have a direct effect upon unit perfommance. Command quickly degrades once poor and average quality units are overexposed to fatigue or casualties, particularly in the absence of their cornmanders.

The scenarios heavily endorse the use of dead ground and reverse slope positions wherever possible. This is particularly evident in the behaviour of the units supporting the British and faithfully reflects the actuality of the command and control dilemma facing Wellington at Waterloo.

Reservation

My only reservation about the software is the quality of the computer opponent which occasionally appears to lose track of units and lacks initiative. For example, in the 'D'Erlon Assault' scenario, I found that the French heavy cavalry were apparently 'forgotten' while they languished for 6 turns under close and deadly Allied artillery fire.

By comparison with the computer opponent in the rival Panzer and Allied General computer wargames, Battleground Waterloo is less challenging although I suspect this is due to the desire of the Waterloo designers to reflect the historical impact of real brigade and divisional commanders present at the battle

This reservation aside, this wargame is undoubtedly the best computer simulation yet produced for the Napoleonic period and sets and entirely new standard of excellence for future releases in this area. The sequel modules from the publisher will be ACW games covering Shiloh and Antietam and are due for release later in 1996.

The game requires IBM PC and Compatibles, available on CD-Rom only. Windows 3.1 or 95, 486DX33 or higher, 20Mb free hard disk space, Double speed CD-Rom, 8Mb RAM, 256 SVGA (640x480)

More Reviews:

The Sandler Collection (book)
On The Fields of Glory (book)
Battleground Waterloo (computer game)
Flintloque (miniature figures/rules)