Attila the Hun, by Paul L. Van Patten, Jr., from Strategic Studies Games (POB 254, Buena Park, CA 90621). This is a simple, fast-playing game on the barbarian invasions of the Eastern Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries AD. One player controls the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire while a variable number of players control the various barbarian tribes beyond the Imperial frontiers. The Persian Empire is also present, but its units are completely static-thus factoring out the clashes and intrigues between the two empires.

The game plays rather smoothly, with the combat system a variant of Risk. The game is compatible with SSG's earlier release, Alaric the Goth, and the two games may be combined into one for sessions with plenty of players. One problem common to both games is that the Roman player is required to garrison each of his provinces with at least one unit. This dissipates the strength of the Imperial forces, usually leaving the Roman player with little chance of mustering enough units together to counter the barbarians' main assaults. I would suggest changing the garrison requirement to maintaining two or three units per diocese rather than one per province, thus allowing a stronger defense of the frontiers. One map, one 8 page rules booklet, 480 counters, three dice, bagged. $12

Ironbottom Sound: The Guadalcanal Campaign, by Jack Greene, from Quarterdeck Games (POB 929, Oceano, CA 93445). Contents: one 22" x 24" color printed game map depicting ocean; one 8%" x 12" sheet showing Savo Island (players must cut the island appropriately from the sheet); 304 die-cut counters (165 ship counters, 101 informational markers, 38 not used); two sets of five sheets containing ten tables of combat results information; two sets of log sheets showing the respective orders of battle for every scenario; boxed. $17.95

Ironbottom Sound is an intense and intricate portrayal of naval warfare in the restricted waters off Guadalcanal where the Allies must defend a very small portion of the ocean in order to insure the success of land operations. Five scenarios presented represent historical battles; five hypothetical scenarios explore a range of diverse possibilities from German, Dutch, or British participation in the campaign to the consideration of the war as having been fought in the late 1920s. Play by mail and multi-commander rules are included.

The Fall of France (Europa VIII), by John M. Astell, from Game Designer's Workshop (203 North Street, Normal, IL 61761). Contents: two 21" by 28" color maps (Europa maps 16 & 17); 26 looseleaf pages of rules; 14 pages of orders of battles; 9 charts and tables; 2040 die-cut backprinted counters; special Europa supplement; one die; boxed. $21.95

This game requires no introduction for Europa fans. The counters represent the complete orders of battle of the Dutch, Belgian, Swiss, and French armed forces in World War II, plus all British, the complete orders of battle of the Dutch, Belgian, Swiss, and French armed forces in World War II, plus all British, German, and Italian forces needed to recreate the campaign of 1940. The historical research that went into this game is thorough and meticulous, and probably surpasses anything done on any previous wargame. The air and antiaircraft rules have been thoroughly redone. Other new rules include corps markers and a refined invasion turn. At $21.95, this game is a bargain for the components and historical information alone.

Suez '73: The Battle of Chinese Farm: October 15-19, 1973, by Frank A. Chadwick, from GDW. Contents: one 21" x 28" color map, one 16 page rules booklet, one 12 page "historical notes and scenarios" booklet, four charts and tables, two orders of battle, 480 die-cut, backprinted counters (105 Israeli, 195 Egyptian-Arab, 180 informational) five scenarios, one die; boxed. $12.98

This is the latest in the series of operational level games from GDW that began with Avalanche, and developed through Operation Crusadbr and Mite Death. It uses the same type of impulse movement pioneered in White Death, although each game turn (consisting of ten movement points) represents only twelve hours instead of four days. A major rules change is the substitution of a"combat proficiency" rating for morale. The orders of battle have beencarefully researched, considering the difficulties encountered because so much material is still classified and not available to the public. This is a thorough and intense simulation.

Drive to the Danube: 1945, by Perry A. Moore, from PM Publications. Contents: one 11 " x 17" map, one 16 page rules booklet, 160 counters. Ziploc. $4.50.

Phalanx of Fire: Battle for Quang Tri Province, by Perry A. Moore, from PM Publications. Contents: two 11" x 17" maps, one 24 page rules booklets, 320 counters. Ziploc. $7.00

Locust: Soviet Invasion of Iran, by Perry A. Moore, from PM Publications. Contents: three 11 " x 17" maps, one 32 page rules booklet, 420 counters, three scenarios. Ziploc. $8.00

These games may be obtained from the designer, Perry A. Moore, 2476 Plata, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Postal Money Orders only.

The production quality of these three games is not up to professional standards, but it is adequate for an amateur publication. Maps, rules, and counters are xeroxed in black and white. The counters are mounted on thin cardboard, have some color, and are pre-cut. While production standards are adequate, the same cannot be said for the rules editing.

The writing is often ungrammatical and incoherent, and the author's meaning has to be puzzled out. All three sets of rules could use at least one more draft. Drive to the Danube is a simulation of the last German offensive of World War II in Hungary, in March, 1945, and of the Russian counter-attack . German counters represent battalions and regiments, Russian counters brigades, divisions, and even corps. The rules are not innovative, but seem well thought out for a simple, quick-playing game. Special rules cover armor, anti-tank fire, supply, and the effects of headquarters.

Phalanx of Fire recreates the North Vietnamese crossing of the DMZ and invasion of Quang Tri Province in April of 1972. Units are company-sized on both sides. The North Vietnamese have a clear superiority on the ground, but are vulnerable to airstrikes. U.S. and South Vietnamese airstrikes are severely curtailed by bad weather, so that weather can play a vital part in the outcome of this game, which reflects the historical situation well enough.

Locust is a hypothetical game dealing with a possible Soviet invasion of Iran and the Middle East. Counters represent forces (mostly divisions and air units) that the Soviet Union, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, and the U.S. could bring to bear. There are three scenarios based on different possible political situations, including an Iran-Iraq war. Special political rules deal with Soviet subversion in Iran and the assasination of Khomeini. The designer's notes say that the game is based on "the most exciting book in the Bible," the Revelations of St. John of Patmos.

Campaigns of Napoleon, by John Prados with Daniel S. Palter, from West End Games (Box 156, Cedarhurst, NY 11516). Contents: one 22" x 34" color map, one 40 page rules booklet, two charts and tables, eleven scenarios, 400 die-cut, backprinted counters, one counter storage tray, one die; boxed. $15.00

This is a strategic level simulation of the campaigns of Napoleon in Central Europe from Marengo to Waterloo (and beyond). Spain and Russia are not included on the map. Three levels of complexity are offered: Basic, Advanced, and Tournament rules. The Advanced and Tournament rules concentrate on strategic and administrative problems such as mobilization, supply, logistics, strategic attrition, unit reorganization, training of troops, and the effects of strategic attrition, unit reorganization, training of troops, and the effects of leaders. Each turn represents two weeks, each hex is 25 miles across. There are two different kinds of scenarios: "scenarios", which deal with a limited part of a campaign and are mainly military, with specific, limited objectives; and "campaigns", which are more open-ended and have a diplomatic and economic side.

Taskforce, by Joseph M. Balkoski, from SPI (257 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10010). Contents: two identical 22" by 34" color printed game maps divided into three sections showing the North Atlantic between Iceland and the Shetlands, the Mid-Caribbean from Eastern Cuba to Western Hispaniola to North eastern Columbia, and the Southern Mediterranean from Malta to Israel; 440 die-cut backprinted counters (159 ship counters, 46 air squadron counters, 232 informational markers, 1 blank); two sets of group, fleet, and tactical displays; one 24 page rulesbook; boxed. $18.00

With the exception of one scenario from the October War of 1973, all scenarios presented are concerned with a hypothetical conflict which is reminiscent of The Third World War of August 1985.

The Designer's Notes contain the caution that the game should be viewed primarily as an entertainment which presents possible data on probable situations which cannot be verified or dupl icated dur to the designer's lack of access to classified information. Solitaire playability is very low. Multi-commander possibilities do not appear to have been explored. Two-player balance is good, and the game presents a tension reminiscent of the first playingof Avalon Hill's old Midway: who is going to clobber whom first?

The Longest Day, by Randall C. Reed, from Avalon Hill (4517 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214). This is Avalon Hill's first (and perhaps last) release of a monster game. The game covers the DDay landings and subsequent campaign in Normandy at scales of 2 kilometers per hex, company and battalion sized units, and one day turns. The game system covers the campaign well: although the combat system allows the possibilities of breakouts and mobility, the terrain of the region turns the fighting into a grinding battle of attrition. Perhaps the highlight of the system is that the enemy player is allowed a mechanized movement phase between the phasing player's movement and combat phases.

This allows mechanized units to be rushed into shore up threatened sectors and further reduces the chances of any dramatic breakouts by the attacker. Thus, until one side is exhausted, the attacker can not expect to advance faster than one hex per turn through the bocage. This point is strikingly (though perhaps unintentionally) made in the first scenario, Mortain. To win, the German player must (along with other conditions) occupy the town of St. Hilaire. However, St. Hilaire is nine hexes from the German front lines, and the scenario is only four turns long. The Germans can advance about three hexes on the first turn (only two if they are particularly unlucky), and thereafter the Allied player can use the bocage terrain and his mechanized movement to guarantee that the Germans will not reach St. Hilaire.

The rules are organized in the "programmed instruction" method for ease of comprehension. While not simple, the rules are not overly complex, and experienced gamers should have no problem learning all the rules needed to play any of the scenarios in one sitting. Overall, the rules are reasonable, even though I do wonder about a couple of them. (For example, since only one headquarters unit may be present in a hex, any HQ unit required to retreat. into a hex already occupied by a friendly HQ unit is eliminated. This seems rather harsh, and I do not see anything wrong with requiring the HO. unit to retreat an additional hex in such cases.) One rule seems to be missing: if a supply unit is stacked with a mechanized HO unit, then the supply unit should be able to move with the HQ during the mechanized movement phase. Without this rule, moving such a HQ unit in the mechanized movement phase is rather useless, since it has to leave its supply unit behind! A number of examples of play are included to aid comprehension of the rules, but this effort is marred by the fact that Attack A of Example 1 disagrees with the supply rules (as far as I can tell, the 352 division HQ is required to spend only one step of supply, not two).

The rules booklet presents a curious mixture of bombast and reassurance, perhaps reflecting Avalon Hill's concerns over the marketing of the game. On one hand, the rules have many sections whose purpose is to reassure the reader that the game is indeed easy to learn and both easy and fun to play. These sections are usually accompanied by sections boasting how detailed, comprehensive, and accurate a simulation the game actually is.

The reason for this, I believe, is that Avalon Hill sees two different types of buyers for the game. The first type of buyer is the long-standing Avalon Hill customer who owns and enjoys such games as War at Sea. This buyer must be reassured that Longest Day is a game that he can own and enjoy along with his other Avalon Hill purchases. The second type of buyer is the hardcore gamer who regards Avalon Hill games as perhaps fun to play occasionally but seriously lacking in "historical realism." This buyer must be convinced that Longest Day is a serious historical offering. One is left with the impression from all of this that Longest Day is an intensive monster game meant to be played by novices. This impression disappears when the game is played: the novice may be able to play it, but I suspect only the experienced players will enjoy it.

About fourteen pages of the rules booklet are taken up by the designer's notes, design annotation, and bibliograpy. Although I could not find the "treasure trove of situation maps" in this booklet that the ad copy on the back of the box promised, what is there is very interesting commentary on the research and design decisions for the game. The designer presents a convincing case that the research is everything it was promised to be.

One design decision, however, quite surprised me. "Firepower scores are a good method of rank ordering most weapons of the era, but its effectiveness falls off at the edges. For this reason, Allied heavy and super-heavy artillery (240mm How, 8inch How, 8-inch Gun, and British 9.2-inch Gun) were excluded. They behave irrationally in the firepower model because their inherent advantages (penetration, accuracy, and blast radius) and disadvantages (relative immobility, very slow rate-offire, and ammunition supply problems) were not elements of the combat model used." Thirty-two Allied artillery battalions were excluded for these reasons.

If this is actually the case, then they were excluded for the wrong reasons. A model is supposed to reflect reality, not ignore those elements of reality that are in disagreement with the model. I can see only two good reasons for excluding these battalions:

(1) historically, their disadvantages rendered them ineffective in the actual campaign and thus allows them to be excluded from the game, or

(2) they actually did have an appreciable effect but this has been indirectly included in the model elsewhere.

Fortunately, this is not a major area of the game, so I feel that the exclusion of these battalions is a blessing even though I disagree with the reason why they were excluded. Also, this is the only design decision about which I have major reservations. The rest of the package is quite good in this respect.

The Longest Day offers much for the experienced gamer and student of the Normandy campaign. However, I believe that players will find this an "interesting" game rather than an "Avalon Hill classic."

Six and a half mounted maps, one 48 page rules booklet, several deployment and game charts, over 1500 counters. $65

The Sword and the Stars, from SPI. Contents: one 17" by 22" color-printed game map with schematic depiction of 56 star systems; 400 die cut counters (five identical sets of 55 counters in dif ferent colors, 124 informational and process markers, 257 counters are backprinted); 56 year cards, 2 six sided dice; boxed. $12.00

This hypothetical strategic game of empire formation and conflict in space will be of interest to both political and science fiction gamers. It is admittedly based on Empires of the Middle Ages, and those who have played Empires will be intrigued by a game in which one of the possible empires is inimical to the others, akin to the Ottomans in Mighty Fortress and a space equivalent of Mongols appears on the average of every sixth turn. This game has reasonably good solitaire playability and very good multi-player (up to five) possibilities.