Axis & Allies - PC Review - Gamecenter

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Axis & Allies
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CNET Gamecenter Review
By Hugh Falk
(10/27/1998)

Game at a Glance
Recap: Just like the board game without all the pieces
Ups: Faithful reproduction; time machine option lets you scroll back several moves
Downs: Multiplayer isn't stable
Multiplayer: Fair
Single player: Good
Demo: N/A
Patch: N/A
As some of you may already know, serious war gamers are commonly called grognards. The word has French military origins, but more commonly means a social misfit who moves many small pieces. Grognards are not born; they are made. Research conducted in the late '80s shows that grognards pass through several phases during their early development. Phase one: play soldier with other toddlers. Phase two: play Risk. Phase three: play Axis & Allies. Phase four: play Advanced Squad Leader. Now that Hasbro Interactive has released the computerized version of the classic board game Axis & Allies, sociologists fear that cases of Grognard Syndrome will only increase.
As a recovering grognard, I am well aware of the dangers of such a game. Still, I'm willing to risk a relapse for you, the gaming public. A&A is a World War II strategy game. The goal is to play one of the five superpowers during 1942: the United Kingdom, Russia, or the United States (the Allies); or Germany or Japan (the Axis). Victory is achieved by gaining strategic and economic advantage over the enemy by conquering their territories. Units include infantry, tanks, battleships, submarines, fighters, and bombers. Each unit has an offensive and defensive value from zero to six, and combat is resolved via dice rolls. Lower rolls ensure a better chance of victory.
The map and pieces look just like I remember them, and even simulated red-and-white dice are included. As a board game simulation, A&A is a smashing success. I found it easy to scroll around the large map, and the territories and game pieces are very legible. For accomplished grognards, this is a great way to relive phase three of your life. For newcomers, it's a great way to learn and practice strategies on your own. Axis Best of all, the loser doesn't need to clean up the hundreds of pieces that come with the original board game.
Those wanting more than the original board game experience, however, probably will be disappointed. A&A contains some new rules (called third-edition rules), allowing for submerging submarines and multiple AA guns in one territory. It also has some nice rule variations such as paratrooping and the ability to edit a piece's attributes. However, I would have also liked an option to turn A&A into a computer war game instead of just a simulation of the board game. For example, an option for fog of war would be nice. This isn't possible with the board game because players see the board simultaneously. Submarines that can travel while submerged would be another possibility. As it stands, subs can submerge only after an attack as a means of escape, which can be emulated in the board game as well.

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