By Interactive Magic and GSE Erudite Software Inc.
Computer Requirements: Windows 95, Direct X, 486DX/100 (Pentium recommended), 16MB RAM, 2xCD-ROM and SVGA.
It's almost 25 years since I began painting up my first 25mm wargames army; the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great. Even now the classical era is still my favourite historical period. So it was with great interest that I approached this computer game based on GMT's boardgame, The Great Battles of Alexander, deluxe edition. This is in fact the first of a series of games, the Great Battles of Hannibal, Caesar and Genghis Khan are to follow shortly. Tactical level computer games of the ancient period have been sadly neglected up until now so Interactive Magic is to be congratulated for addressing this issue.
The game can be played by one player against the computer or by several players over the Internet. Strangely enough there is no PBEM option which will disappoint a lot of potential players. There are ten battles featured, each of which can be played individually or linked in a campaign game. The battles included are Chaeronea, Lyginus, Pelium, Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, Jaxartes, Samarkland, Arigaeum and Hydaspes. Samarkland is the smallest scenario, only five turns, and can be played in less than 30 minutes. On the other hand, Gaugamela has no turn limit and took me four action packed hours!
When the game begins, you are presented with the main menu which allows you to start a campaign or battle, load a saved game, view the tutorial or watch the historical video. The "video", which lasts about 5 minutes, traces the career of Alexander and is nicely presented. To help you get into the game quickly, you can use the tutorial which takes you through the first turn of the Battle of Pelium and also includes hints for Hydaspes. This is an excellent aid to introduce you to the main features of the game.
When starting a new battle, you are presented with the usual options of which side you wish to play and the difficulty level. After this it's straight into the action. Both armies begin the game already deployed. I would have liked to have been given the opportunity to deploy my army or at least to choose from two or three preset deployments. This would no doubt have made life more difficult for the AI though. The game is entirely mouse driven and I found the interface very intuitive and enjoyable to use. The background music is suitably atmospheric but can be switched off if you wish.
Visually, the game looks very much like a miniatures battle despite being played on a hex grid. The battlefield can be viewed from behind either army and you can have several windows open to view different parts of the battlefield at the same time although I found one main view sufficient. The soldiers are well animated as they march and fight. Also, the sounds of marching, charging and fighting troops is very satisfying. After combat, dead bodies litter the battlefield and riderless horses gallop away. These fallen heroes should meet with the approval of our esteemed editor!
My only disappointment is the lack of variation in the appearance of many of the units. This is especially true of light troops and most Persians. Also, it can sometimes be difficult to discern variations in terrain elevation. On many occasions my units took cohesion hits (see below) for changing level when I thought they were moving on a flat plain! These are minor complaints however.
As you would expect, there is a plethora of combat units represented in a game covering this period including phalanxes, hypaspists, peltasts, lancers, artillery, chariots, elephants and many more. These have rating such as movement allowance, troop quality (TQ), size and missile range. As units receive combat casualties or have their formation disrupted by moving over difficult terrain they take cohesion hits. When the number of hits equals or exceeds their TQ they rout. The combat outcomes pretty much reflect what you would expect with flank and rear attacks being particularly effective.
Units can only act when ordered by a leader. Leaders have a command radius and an initiative level. The number of orders a leader can give is equal to his initiative and the target unit must be within his command radius. He will normally only order units under his command but it is possible to command other units but this counts as two orders. Orders can be to move, rally, remove cohesion hits or conduct missile or shock (melee) combat. The sequence in which each leader is activated is determined by their initiative rating and a random element. Not only that, but he may get two or even three turns in a row. This is determined by a momentum check and the better the leader, the greater his chance of keeping the momentum going. Units ordered more than once in a turn do take cohesion hits however, so I find the extra turns useful for giving my troops a breather and using my orders to remove some hits. This system certainly adds some unpredictability and tension to the battle.
The command system seems to work well although it is a bit abstract. It's a bit like the PIP die roll in DBA/DBM. For example, would Cretan archers wait for an order from Alexander to fire their bows? No, but the system enforces the player to try to manage his limited resources effectively. Because most of the Macedonian leaders have good ratings, I find it easier to play as Alexander since you have more control over your forces. Later in a battle when many of the troops are becoming weak and disorganised, the Macedonian army can regroup more efficiently for that decisive final thrust. Once you've mastered the game system and think you are a competent commander with the Macedonians, try commanding the Danubians!
The only real disappointment is with the campaign game. This basically links all the battles together (except Chaeronea) and the player must take the part of the Macedonians. After ten rounds, after Hydaspes or as soon as you lose a battle, the campaign is over and you are given your rating such as Alexander the Pathetic.
The game comes with a superb 100+ page manual which explains the rules clearly. It includes the combat tables (except missile fire!) and details of all leaders and units in the game. The on-line help is even better. It has everything in the manual and extra hints and tips on tactics for each of the battles. This is about the best help file I have seen for a game. If you are interested in ancient warfare and in particular the classical period, and you're looking for a good, fun game then The Great Battles of Alexander is well worth getting. Hopefully this series will be successful enough to encourage other ancient period titles to appear in the near future. [Here! Here!]
Known games out for review, and those from any member will be gratefully accepted: The Great Battles of Ceasar, Fields of Fire: War Along The Mohawk, Operational Art of War - Volume 1
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