This is Avalon Hill's long-awaited revision of a game they originally published in the early sixties. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with the original version, so I cannot compare them for you. It simulates the hunt for the German battleship, Bismarck, which slipped through the Royal Navy into the North Atlantic in the spring of 1941. It is played o both the strategic and tactical levels.

There are three versions of the game, of increasing complexity. They are rated by Avalon Hill (AH) from Introductory Level III for the Basic Game to Tournament Level I for the advanced game. All three versions use a pair of identical search boards - one for each player - which are 11" x 14". They represent the North Atlantic Ocean, with the British Isles, Iceland, most of Spain and Portugal, the coasts of France and Norway and most of Greenland. This map is overlaid with a pattern of one-half inch squares (each represent 90 statute miles) that are staggered in alternating rows, like bricks in a wall (the same system as used in Gamescience's old Battle of Britain game). This grid has the same practical effects on movement that a grid of hexagons would have, since each square borders on, and is surrounded by, six others.

These boards are used for a search procedure similar to that in AH's game, Midway. Each player keeps his board out of view of the other. He then secretly maneuvers his own ships on his board while trying to learn, or guess, what his opponent is doing, or going to do, on his. Each side has half inch square counters representing individual ships and small units of aircraft. These are printed on both sides. One side represents the unit in "movement mode" and the other in "patrol mode" (can't move but has better chance of spotting enemy ships). These are also task force counters for representing ships which will move together (gives an advantage in combat). Each turn a dice roll determines the visibility level for that turn. Each player (British first) may then call out the coordinates of any or all zones (squares) in which he has ship, air units and/or coastal search capability whose total combined search strength equals or exceeds the visibility level. As each zone is called, the opposing player must state whether or not ships (never air units) are in, or have passed through, that zone that turn, how many and their general type (battleship, cruiser, etc.)

The British player (only) may also attempt to "shadow" German ships. Success is determined by comparing the evasion ratings of the ships concerned and comparing a die roll with a shadow table. Air units can, under some circumstances, shadow ships, but cannot be shadowed, even by other air units.

When opposing ships are found to be occupying the same zone either player may initiate combat, which, in the basic and intermediate game, is then conducted on a separate 14" x 22" battle board with special 1" x 1/2" counters. This has the various combat results tables and a grid of hexes, each one inch across, which form one large hexagon with seven of the smaller hexes on each side. The defending ship(s) start in the center hex and the attacking ship(s) along a side determined by a die roll. Each defending single ship or task force must be attacked separately, and each attacking single ship or task force must initiate that attack separately, but others can be brought in as reinforcements. A pad of hit record sheets is provided on which players record this on their own and opposing ships, indicating also what part of the ship(s) is hit: bow turrets, starboard secondary armament, midships, etc. The hit record sheet also shows how many shots each ship gets from each gun section (bow turrets, stern turrets, port secondary and starboard secondary). For firing at targets more than one hex away this number is halved. Then for each shot fired, the attacking player rolls two dice and cross indexes the result with the appropriate range and field of fire (bow, stern or broadside) column. The result is either a miss or a hit on a specific gun section or on the midships area. As gun this are acquired a ship's salvo count is reduced.

Air-to surface combat (bombing) is also allowed when an air unit winds up in the same zone with an opposing ship. In the basic game there is no air-to-air combat.

Victory in the Basic Game is based on a point system, mostly, but not exclusively, based on enemy ships sunk.

The Intermediate Game is actually just a collection of optional rules to be added to the Basic Game. It is not required, or is it possible, to use all of these rules together. The rules include: fog, fuel expenditure, refueling, torpedoes, ammunition expenditure, fuel damage, submarines, destroyers, convoys, air-to-air combat, aircraft carrier processing, ship breakdown, repairs at sea, surprise attack and eight new scenarios (Free French Participation, U.S. Declares War, Planned Reinubung, Germany Gains Control of French Navy, Iceland Remains Neutral, the Tirpitz, Total British Commitment, and Climax in North Atlantic).

In the Advanced Game, players exchange the battle board combat system for a more complex and technical, miniatures-style system, similar to that used in AH's Jutland game, with special 1 3/4" x 1/2" ship counters being maneuvered on a large table or the floor. Movement and range measurement are determined by two ruled gauges. Many critical factors, such as range, gun size, armor, fire control, etc., affect the performance and accuracy of each ship. The back side of each Hit Record Sheet is for use in the Advanced Game.

This version of Bismarck was designed by Jack Greene, Jr., with "special design and development" by Mick Uhl. It comes in Avalon Hill's regular 11 1/2" x 14 1/3" x 1 1/4" flat box. It sells for $12.00 and should be available wherever you usually buy games, or by mail from Lowry Enterprises, P.O. Box 896, Fallbrook, CA 92028. It looks like a sure winner with modern naval buffs and the Basic Game, at least, would appeal to many general game fans.

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