Fantasy General

Review: Computer Game

Reviewed by Matt Staroscik

SSI, Inc.
$45 on the street
Requires 486, 4MB RAM, DOS, CD-ROM, SVGA

In Shadis #23 we ran a review of Allied General, a hex-based wargame ftom SSI. Well, as cool as Allied General was, it's just been one- upped. Fantasy General is here, and if this can't get you interested in wargames with hexes nothing probably will. The advice I gave in the AG review applies here, only more -- if you already like wargames or computer games like Civilization and Masrer of Magic, run out and buy FG right away. If you have been thinking about trying a "classic" counters-and-hexes wargame, this is the one.

Ar its core, FG is like many other wargames. You have a lot of troops with various strengths and weaknesses, and you push them around on a hex map ro crush your enemies. Players altemate turns, and there may be victory conditions like "liberate the city."

There are 120 different units in the game. Each of them has a near icon. Some troops fly, or have ranged attacks, or can cast spells. There are also four different leaders you can choose from; dependitig on who you pick, you gain a different ability. For example, the sorceress Mordra can magically summon some units at the beginning of every turn.

FG gives you a choice of playing in campaign mode or scenario mode. In the campaign you have to worry about allocating resources between research and troops, as well as liberating the land from the nefarious Shadowlord -- one continent at a time. In contrast the scenario mode lets you fight one predefined battle, with no long- term planning. There is also an "Arena" mode so you can set up custom battles. As in AG you can play with a friend over email. The combination of custom scenarios and email play looks like a real boon for wargaming buddies who can't find the time to meet often enough.

The games interface is well-crafted, letting you get down to the business of battle with a minimum of rules. The manual also includes a good tutorial section. You also get pages of tables detailing the stats of each unit in the game, which comes in awful handy when you're planning your strategy.

What was most surprising about the game was the atmosphere. The graphics are all top-notch and rhe story is surprisingly good for what is, after all, a wargame. I should also mention that I have never heard a better video game soundtrack than this. The music is mostly rearrangement of classical pieces, and was professionally recorded -- there's not a note of FM or wavetable music.

Keep up the good work, SSI!

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