A new group, called the Control Box Inc. has tried its hand at producing yet another Russian Front game. It comes in an 11 3/4"x 15 1/2" clear, plastic, ziplock bag and consists of: two 21/"x28" mapsheets (brown, blue and green on cream-clored heavy paper); two 11"x 14" sheets of hexagonal unit counters (12" across from corner to corner; Russians pink and red, Germans/Axis allies various shades of grey, Rumanians green, Poles blue, SS black); an 8 1/2" x 11" 16-page rules booklet; a 22"x28" sheet of charts, tables, etc; and an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of errata.

The maps fit together to show all of Scandinavia, most of European Russia (including most of the Caucasus), all the Black Sea, some of Bulgaria, a lot of Turkey, Rumania, parts of Hungary, Slovakia, and a sizable chunk of Germany. Terrain types include clear, forest (pine) , forest, forest (thick), hills mountains, swamps and rivers (which run between the hexes). Each hex has its identifying number printed in it. Start lines for the various scenarios are also printed on the map. The unit counters are pretty conventional except for their hexagonal shape, which has no particular significance of function. The rules are presented in narrative form, which makes it easier to get into them. Unfortunately they don't always explain some of the more novel features as well as they should.

Movement is in two phases, one before and one after combat. Units have zones of control, but attacking is not mandatory. Rail movement and sea movement are provided for - only the Axis in the Baltic; whoever controls Sevastapol in the Black Sea. Combat is not based on the odds ratio of attacker to defender, but on the difference between attacker and defender. The columns on the CRT are +1, +2 or 3, +4 or 5, etc., This, plus the die roll, will determine the defender's losses. Then any surviving defenders counterattack the attackers and their losses are determined. As in Russian Campaign, Axis counters represent corps, and can stack 3 to a hex, and Russian counters represent armies and can stack only 2 per hex. The Supply rules and their effects on movement, combat and replacements are rather complicated and not explained clearly.

Each turn represents two weeks, and there are seven different scenarios: Poland, Campaign Game, Barbarossa, Stalingrad, High Water Mark, Kursk and Destruction of Army Group Center. The Poland scenario is provided merely as an introduction to the game mechanics before proceding to the larger and longer scenarios. According to the brief Designer's Notes the designer's aim was "the playing speed of Barbarossa, the combat system of PZA, and most of the complexity of WIE. In short an AH Stalingrad done right." Personally, I think Jedko/AH's Russian Campaign does it much better. I found nothing with the game to indicate its price. It is available from the Control Box, Inc., 7705 14th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

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