After playing a few hundred games of Axis and Allies the game simply starts to get "old". Okay, not old, but in need of a bit of zip. As a die hard Axis and Allies fan with a gaming group of six people, I decided to spice up the game with the addition of the nation of Italy. The rules for the Italians are simple.

First, take a couple of pieces and markers from each army and spray paint them black (have to give the black shirts their due). You are now ready to add Italy to the game. When Italy is in the game their capital is Southern Europe and it is worth 8 instead of 6. In addition, Italy controls Algeria and Libya. This puts Germany at 24 IPCs and Italy at 10. This is a bit hard on the Germans but some sacrifices must be made for the war effort.

The following is a list of Italy's starting forces.
Southern Europe: 3 Infantry, 1 tank, 1 fighter, 1 submarine, 1 transport, 1 battleship, 1 industrial complex and 1 antiaircraft gun.
Libya: 2 infantry and I tank.
Algeria: 1 infantry
Starting Income: $10,000
Strategy: The best way to handle Italy is to devote their efforts to fighting Africa. Let the Germans handle the Russians. Fighting in Africa deprives the U.K. of $11 and if done properly the Italians can cut through Syria/Iraq and Persia. If successful they can threaten Russia and help the Japanese destroy any allied troops in Asia.