I'll wager TEN to one that all of you now own a copy of Scorched Earth. As an expansion and upgrade of FITE, Scorched Earth marks the highest point yet achieved in the wargaming hobbie. True, I'm not the one who hands out crowns for these things, and EUROPA is not the game for every wargamer. Nor, for that matter, should all wargames strive to be what SE is (ie, a "'Master" level, 100 plus playing hours, fill your whole table kind of game]. But I believe SE stands above the rest for the following reasons.

1) Excellent Research: The OBs are second to none. The men behind this task have pursued their work with dedication and professionalism and the GermanSoviet conflict is an immense subject to pursue. Ponder for a moment the number of Who's, When of Who's, When's, and Where's these gentlemen had to investigate. Realize, too, that each unit had to be rated relative to each other unit (a feature of wargames that goes beyond history books).

2) Good Looks: Europa maps impart their geographic information in an appealing manner ( like how they look on my table). The counters, with their diversity of colors, are icing on the cake. GDW's art department continues to do splendid work. 3) Proven Rules: The Europa system has been played now for 13 years. Many of the "post publication playtesters" have not sent in a report, but many others have, either directly to GDW, through articles in the hobby's publications, or in person at conventions. Thus Europa has evolved and developed with the help of her many devotees (lovers?!). Can any other published wargame claim to have such a thoroughly tested set of rules?

Therefore, as you hunch over that next game of FITE/SE, stop for a moment to appreciate how this game represents the crest of our hobby. Of course, that does not mean we won't see higher points of excellence in the future. In fact, Grand Europa may be one of them.