Board games just keep getting better and better. If you look at wargames from the classic era--when SPI advertised on TV--you will find some that are still worth playing but most can't hold a candle to games produced by GMT, Avalanche Press, Moments in History, etc. during the past few years. Remember when a desktop published game meant some unfinished graphic horror? Now, Desk TopPublishers like Simulations Workshop, Ivy Street, Markham Designs, and Microgame Co-op are doing better games than mainstream publishers.

And, remember when you stopped going into game stores because you weren't interested in being a dungeon master or collecting the perfect deck of silly creatures? Well, now, you may just find something worth going in for. They're called German games but they include games from anywhere in Europe that emphasize clever design, great-looking components and fun.

GMT's Barbarossa, Army Group Center 1941 is the latest in Vance von Borries' plan to simulate the entire Russo-German War. This game covers the seemingly unstoppable (until Hitler diverted half its armor and air) Army Group Center's drive into the heart of Russia. 1120 counters, 4 maps. 2 days/turn, 5 miles/hex, Division/Regiment. Good solo or with up to 4 players... Caesar: Conquest of Gaul is the 6th volume of one of wargaming's most successful series and the only serious coverage of ancient warfare--"The Great Battles of History". This game sims the battles of Bibracte, The Rhine, The Sabis, Bay of Biscay, Britannia and Lutetia, but not Alesia, which will probably be an expansion... Invasion Sicily is Vance von Borries' simulation of the Allied invasion and conquest of Sicily. Scenarios include Gela Beachhead, Operation Husky, Campaign for Sicily and a second campaign scenario that lets the Allies invade Calabria before Sicily. Regiment and Battalion, 3 days/turn, 5.5 miles/hex, 1 to 2 players... Saratoga is a low complexity tactical level simulation of a battle that was a turning point in America's struggle for independence and Benedict Arnold's greatest victory. Sets up in 5 minutes and plays in two hours. Regimental, 1 hr/turn, 200 yds/hex, 1 to 2 players... You can help a great company stay in business and influence the selection of games they print by taking advantage of their Plan 500 deal. Call 800-523-6111.

Triumph & Fall of the Desert Fox is the second part and the smallest game of Udo Grebe's "Empires of the Apocalypse" series. It covers World War II in North Africa and provides an easy introduction to the game system. 280 counters, 5 small maps. Corps level, 25 miles/hex, 1 mo./turn. Solo or 2 players... The first game in the series Morsecode simulates World War II in western Europe from the beginning to the end with the following scenarios: France 1940, Sealion, Italy July 1943, Overlord, Cobra, Bulge. Corps, 1 mo/turn, 25 miles/hex, 1 to 5 players, 1680 counters. Moments in History's Lodz 1914 First Blitzkrieg simulates the late 1914 Russo-German fighting near Lodz, Poland. 1 full size map, 720 counters. 2 miles/hex, 1 day/turn, corps level... Clash of Titans sims the 1943 tank battle of Kursk using the Ring of Fire system... Triumphant Return covers the Soviet's November '43 liberation of Kiev, once again, using the very successful Ring of Fire system... Note: Moments in History has been bought by Critical Hit. This is a good thing. Ray Tapio is an aggressive businessman with capital. With Uli and Ray working together this will probably be a very successful wargame company.

Australian Design Group's long-awaited America in Flames is in stock. It uses the all time most popular strategic level World War II system, World in Flames, to simulate the greatest war that never happened. Moving in on XTR's turf, this game presumes the Axis powers winning World War II in Europe and Asia and now having to invade North and South America. America in Flames is a complete game. WiF is not needed in order to play. 2 maps, 840 counters. Army/Corps level, 2 months/turn, 650km/hex. Good solo or up to 6 players... America in Flames Update Kit is everything you need to add America in Flames to your World in Flames... Carrier Planes in Flames is the latest expansion for World in Flames.

QED's American Civil War card game, Blue vs Gray is beginning to generate good feedback from customers. The great-looking cards alone--wonderfully illustrated and loaded with information--are worth the price of the game (even if you don't agree with some of the leader ratings). This innovative game lets you build your army from cards that represent every important general, infantry division, and cavalry corps of the war and decide the fate of the nation. Not a collectable, but comes in two decks--North and South. As Charles Vasey, reviewer and editor for Perfidious Albion, says, "Quick to play, full of atmosphere cutting through the bookkeeping that usually masquerades as historical design, it is undoubtedly the game of the year for me. All the more astonishing for coming from designers of whom one knows nothing... Get it, play it, enjoy it!!"... Stash is a game about pushing drugs in New York City. Comes in a large tube, attractive laminated 22 x 28 inch map, drug cards, Stash cash, cards for smuggling, corrupt officials, rock concerts, connections, etc.

German games are finally appearing in game and hobby stores all over the country, making these great games accessible to more and more people and bringing prices down. Three people are primarily responsible for the spread of German games over here. Years before most of us first heard of Die Siedler von Catan, Mike Siggins was turning people on to European games, reviewing them, providing translations. Ken Tidwell built a website that was an oasis of news, reviews and translations. And now Jay Tummelson has created a company, Rio Grande Games, that arranges for German Games to be published simultaneously in English and imports and distributes them over here. Rio Grande Games are exactly like the German edition (same printers, etc.) except that the German has been replaced with English... Samurai is the latest from the most famous of all game designers, Reiner Knizia. Players try to control three factions--Priesthood, Nobles/Warriors, Landlords -- by laying influence tiles adjacent to cities. 2-4 players, 10 years up, 45 minutes. If you like Euphrat & Tigris you will most likely love this game... El Caballero --People keep asking us if we made a mistake on the price. Even at the suggested retail of $20 this would be a steal.--takes El Grande to the New World where there are new lands and peoples to be discovered and exploited. Players create the map by placing region tiles, control these regions by placing Caballeros, protect their land with Castillos and initiate trade and fishing with Galleons.

The expansion, Alkalden (Judges), is already in the box. 2-4 players, 12 years up, 90 minutes... In Samarkand you move about the desert, trading, buying and selling goods. The richest merchant wins. 2-5 players, 9 years up, 60 minutes... Kahuna is a reprint of Arabana-Ikibiti, a game of gaining control of an archipelago by building bridges between the islands. A beautiful little two-player game, 10 years up, 40 minutes... Medieval Merchant is yet another game (Die Hanse, Fugger-Welser-Medici, Serenissima, Medici, etc.) about European commerce in the Middle Ages. The German title is Pfeffersäcke, which means Pepperbag and refers to medieval traders who earned their fortunes importing goods, like pepper, from the East. The object of the game is to control the trade in more and more cities, but branching out to new cities is expensive and may cost you the control of the city you're branching from. 1-4 players, 12 years up, 90 minutes... Other Rio Grande games in stock are: El Grande, El Grande English Cards, Katzenjammer Blues, Medici, Edison & Co., Lowenherz, Ido, Fossil, Mississippi Queen, The Black Rose), Trick 'r Treat, and Landlord. Coming Soon: In Ra the Sun God provides players with tokens to bid on tiles that represent various aspects of economic, spiritual, and technological growth. 3 to 5 players, age 12 up, 1 hour... Ricochet Robot involves moving brakeless robots about a board. 2 or more players, age 10 up, 1 hour... Union Pacific is a railroad game wherein players acquire stock, lay track and collect dividends. 2 to 6 players, age 12 up, 1¼ hours... If your local hobby or game store doesn't stock these games, tell them to call Rio Grande Games at 505-771-8813. While Bambus' Nanuuk! won't earn you any political correctness points, it is a good game. You're an Eskimo hunting seals, walrus, and whales while avoiding polar bears on an ice field that is breaking up. For a German Game the components aren't as nice as normal, but it is still an attractive game with lots of wood. 2 to 4 players, age 8 up, 1 hour. In the tradition of West End's Junta and Doris & Frank's Banana Republic comes Queen Games' card game about Central American politics--Putsch. Lots of nice-looking cards, money, markers, score sheets, etc., but still a lot to pay for a card game. 3 to 6 players, age 12 up, 2+ hours.

Ravensburger's new English Edition games: Master Labyrinth is a race for magic ingredients in a shifting maze. Each turn you shift the maze one square, then go in search of the ingredients you need for your magic formula. The components are gorgeous and include the game board, 34 maze tiles, 21 tokens, 21 secret formula cards, 4 wooden playing pieces and 12 little wooden wands. 2-4 players, age 10 up, 45 minutes... The A-Maze-Ing Labyrinth is a simpler version of Master Laby-rinth. 1-4 players, age 8 up, 20 minutes... In Scotland Yard one player is one of Scotland Yard's most wanted criminals on the run in central London and the other players are detectives in pursuit. Clever design, great-looking components. 3 to 6 players, age 10 up... Grand Prix is a clever auto racing game for kids where each turn you either add track to the race or roll to move your car. It's fast and simple and the playing pieces are real toy cars--meaning multi-colored and the wheels move! Blatz's Mole Hill is Knizia's neat little "battle of the lawn" board game for two players ages 8 up, taking about 20 minutes to play... F.X. Schmid's Zum Kuckuck! is an card game where players vie for nests full of cockatoo while avoiding cuckoos. 3 to 5 players, age 12 up, 30 minutes. Mayfair's version of The Seafarers of Catan is in stock.

Ah, the beauty of Desk Top Publishing. Where else are you going to find simulations of Caseros, or the operation to free the hostage during the Congolese Civil War or the conflict between Peru and Maoist guerrillas or a game as good as Williamsburg, 1862 for $14.40?... Simulations Workshop, Ivy Street Games, Microgame Co-Op, and Mark-ham Designs are producing the best games in wargaming and selling them for about 1/4 of what you'd pay for a boxed game. Simulations Workshop's newest game, Caseros, 1852 covers the battle that put an end to the Rosa regime in Argentina. Regiments-battalions, 250 meters/hex, 30 mins./turn... Panzers at the Pyramids covers the hypothetical 1942 drive into Egypt by the Afrika Korps... !Cuba Libre! sims the Bay of Pigs... We have all 10 Simulations Workshop games in stock. Free flyer upon request.

Ivy Street's newest game, Chantilly is a brigade level simulation of Stonewall Jackson's September 1862 flanking movement against Pope. Like Ivy Street's very successful first two games, it features a simple but elegant orders system and uses a chit pull system to increase chaos and enhance solitaire play. Includes the full day scenario, the flank march to cut off Pope's retreat to Washington, and the Battle of Ox Hill that occurred during a driving thunderstorm... Ivy Street's other two games are Stonewall at Cedar Mountain and Williamsburg, 1862 ... You can now buy these games directly from Ivy Street Games (Hampton Newsome, PO Box 1532, Arlington VA 22210 or mmrhhn@erols.com). Micro game Co-Op's Shining Path covers the ongoing conflict between Maoist guerrillas and the Peruvian government. The Siege of Hong Kong covers the end of the 1941 invasion of Hong Kong Island by the Japanese. Ypres, 1915 is a brigade/regiment level sim of the Second Battle of Ypres... We have all nine of Microgame Co-Op's games in stock. Several new games are scheduled for release next month.

DTP's first quad game is in stock. Markham Designs' This Scepter-ed Isle (aka This Emerald Isle) simulates four War of the Roses battles: Towton, Mortimer's Cross, Tewkesbury, and Barnet. The long-worked-on system (vastly updated and overhauled from its 3W days) reflects the diminishing role of cavalry, the rise of infantry and the supremacy of the longbow. It is a system th\at forces the good player to pay careful attention to the abilities of his leaders. A dozen or so more games are planned in the series... Montcalm & Wolfe deals with The French and Indian War at an operational level... So far, Markham Designs is the only DTP company producing die cut counters.

Raven's Forge Miniatures reports that it is pleased to announce that we have signed licensing agreements with Steve Jackson Games to re-release the TOON and TimeLine: Morrow Project RPG figures. For FEB, these figures will be available for a 10% discount off of normal retail price. Shipping is $4 USPS Priority Mail to any US location. It will also be releasing: Children of the Nile - 28mm Egyptian Gods, Goddesses, warriors, creatures,townspeople; Children of Valhalla - 28mm Norse Gods, Goddesses, Giants and Vikings.

It is reported that ADB, Inc. now owns the publishing rights to Star Fleet Battles, F&E and Prime Directive.