At the height of summer I know it becomes increasingly difficult to find time for the hobby so I am especially grateful to all the contributors for taking time out to drop me a line. My grateful thanks to the reviewers for their hard work evaluating the games and for the effort of turning them into reviews. Remember the reviews you see here will [may] never be the first in print, but, they are written by wargamers, for wargamers and express honest opinions of the buying public.
As always any contributions are most welcome, especially reviews, and can cover anything from RPG, Fanatasy, Real-time Tactical, Strategy even tactical simultions. In fact any wargame subject related to computers now hows that for an offer.
I managed to take a few computer magazines on holiday with me to read whilst lazing in the sun, a very arduous task of course. I also had a trawl through all my mail and extracted various items I considered could be of interest.
My thanks to David Elrick who forwarded the following emails to me, which should interest both boardgamers and computer gamers alike:
We received a message from a source inside Avalon Hill that, on the morning of the 4th August, the staff were informed that Hasbro had acquired the entirety of The Avalon Hill Game Company and that all current employees contracts with Avalon Hill were terminated. All of the titles, including future titles such as RuneQuest:Slayers and Galaxy:The Arena, became the rights of Hasbro.
Avalon Hill then contacted the MMP and asked them to finish the ASL product that they are currently completing. Hasbro Inc then requested that AH terminate all future contracts that they had with the MMP (which consisted of four future ASL titles).
Then we received a mailing from SJG Daily Illuminator that read: "SJ Games News: Hasbro buying Avalon Hill". A Reuters report confirms persistent net rumor: Monarch Avalon has agreed to sell its game division to Hasbro for $6 million in cash, pending stockholder approval. According to an AOL posting from an Avalon Hill employee, all AH staff have been laid off; this has not been confirmed. We'll bring you more as the story develops . . .
More developments: Toy giant Hasbro, which just a few days ago announced an agreement to buy The Avalon Hill Game Company, has now unveiled another takeover: game software publisher MicroProse. Commented industry observers, "Well, now we know what they're going to do with Avalon Hill!" {It will be interesting to see how this unfolds - maybe the takeover rollercoaster hasn't reached the end of the track yet. But the cynic in me still wonders if bigger neccesarily means better and if we the consumers will actually benefit}.
I spotted the following items in my trawl:
SSI Compilation. Here is a chance to try out a nice cross section at about £ 4.00 a throw! For the princely sum of £ 19.99 you get Allied General - WWII with 35 scenarios, 3 complete campaigns, video footage and a scenario editor; Steel Panthers 1 - Tactical squad level with tanks set in Europe and the Pacific; Great Naval Battles 4 - Command the legendary battleships 1939 - 1942 in the European theatre of operations; Plus Entmorph - The world of Aden is in turmoil from the evil plague of darkfall you are the only hope; Thunderscape - Save Aden from the nocturnals in the time of Darkfall.
Fields of Fire: War Along The Mohawk - Entertainment International. This is a little different here being something of a combination game involving tactics and role playing. It is set in the same period, around 1757, as a recent film 'Last of the Mohicans' which could be coincidence of course. The game is mission based and you can play either French or British, setting ambushes, taking messages, rescuing pretty ladies. It has a role playing aspect since you select a character for yourself and also companions who can be Rangers, Indians or even Redcoats. I would be very interested in hearing from any member who actually buys this on just how well this combination works, or otherwise.
[Had a quick look then passed it out for a review. Initial thoughts were that this is definitely for those who are into 'Quest' type scenarios with a 'Role Playing' attitude to gaming. Kris Constable, who is into that sort of thing was quite taken with it. More later. Kenn]
Operational Art of War Volume 1 - Talonsoft published by Empire Interactive. This is the work of Norm Kroger of Age of Rifles fame and many more besides. This is the first release in series since joining Talonsoft, but as usual he never does anything by halves so the first volume covers 1939 - 1955. The equipment and weaponry lists are exhaustive. {the kitchen sink is probably there if it has attack and defence factors!}. The campaign options cover Blitzkrieg to Korea, variable scale from 5km to 25km per hex, scenarios from army groups to whole battle fronts. It features excellent graphics, battle planning window, the ability to plan multiple attacks, call in air and artillery support. This has definitly go to be worth worth a long look. {See letter from George Heath in Forum [125], who has actually bought this - might even get a review}.
[Once more I can report that this game is out for review and we will let you know how we get on hopefully in Lone Warrior 125. Kenn]
I extracted the following 'keep an eye out for these' from some cuttings sent by Andy Midgely {thanks mate}. The details are a little thin but they warrant a look at least, in my opinion.
Battleground 9: Chickamauga - Talonsoft. Turn based Strategy. Another ACW battle in the famed Battleground series available by direct order only. Autumn 1998. Battle of Britain - Talonsoft. Operational level. Can you take control of the British or German air force during the famous air battle of WWII. November 1998.
Star Trek: Starship Creator- Simon & Schuster Interactive. Strategy. Here's your chance to design, build and launch your own starships. Appoint your personnel and design your missions. Eat your heart out James T. Kirk. October 1998.
101st Airborne - Empire Interactive. Strategy. Command the men of this elite parachute unit in various missions set during D-Day. Maps based on actual Normandy terrain and you will encounter realistic obstacles; scattered troops, missed landing zones, unexpected enemy concentrations. Autumn 1998.
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines - Eidos Interactive. Real-time Strategy. Take your six soldiers through missions set in Africa and Europe during WWII. Use the skills to best effect to solve the tactical puzzles set. Autumn 1998.
Happy Soloing, Graham.
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