by Rich Cunningham

In the past 12 months, there seems to have been an explosion of software games on the market relating to the American Civil War. TalonSoft has released three games, each relating to specific battles in their Battleground series (Gettysburg, Shiloh, and Antietam). There have been games that emphasize the strategic as well as the tactical aspects of the war, such as "American Civil War: From Sumter to Appomattox". There have been others as well. What is interesting is that each of these games rehash the same material over and over, but each has provides a unique aspect or twist to the battles they recreate. It is the very aura that this period in our history has that makes it a fertile ground for this type of programming.

The latest entry in this time period is from Sierra On-line, one of the premier game companies in the computer world, and is called "Robert E. Lee: Civil War General". This is a different style of game from the company that is best known for Leisure Suit Larry and the King's Quest series. But, in true Sierra style, they have created a very playable and educational product.

This game is a war simulation that allows the player to assume the role of Robert E. Lee and attempt to lead the Confederate States of America to victory over Union forces. The same factors that influenced General Lee also effect the player. These include lack of supplies and men, a superior army as an opponent, and the ambiguity of a battlefield victory. The overall object is to cause the morale of the Union to sink so low that they will let the Confederates leave the Union.

The game play is very similar to all games of this type. The field of play is represented by a map that is divided into six-sided areas called hexes. Each unit in the game occupies a hex, and all actions occur from within that area. A hex is not a physical part of the game, but a representation of a specific area on the map, in this instance about 200 yards. The game proceeds in turns, each representing 30 minutes of actual game time. Movement of units is accomplished by right-clicking on unit, then left-clicking on the destination hex. Terrain affects how far a unit can move, and so do enemy units. You must keep the lines of supply and communication open, while trying to eliminate your opponent's.

This program has some nice touches when compared to others of this type. The music background is contemporary for the time period. Game play is not very complicated, once the basics are mastered. These basics are best learned by following the tutorial in the well written manual. There is also an included video on the CD called "How to.avi" that touches on the basics of the game. The concepts of movement, attack, defend, supply, etc. are fully explained with examples given. The map overview is well presented from a slightly off-set angle, one that reminds me of the maps from the American Heritage book on The Civil War. One drawback is that there is only one size of map with which to plan tactics. There is a small overall map that can be toggled on and off, but it is more annoying than helpful. Movement around the map is accomplished by moving the mouse to the edge of the map in the direction you want to go, and away you go!

Other game features include the ability to play over modems, or direct serial link. There is a campaign option that allows one to recreate 7 real and 1 imaginary battles of the war. In this instance, the player becomes the General, and must lead his nation to victory. But keep in mind that heavy losses from the previous battle will have an impact on the next one. It is also possible to play a single battle from either side (Union or Confederate), while the campaign option is Confederate only.

In addition to the game play, there is an interesting multimedia history of the Civil War that is included with the program. The history supplement is fairly easy and straightforward to use. The user selects a topic icon, clicks on it, and then sits back and enjoys the presentation. There are hypertext links galore throughout the document, as well as a liberal application of audio. This portion of the program is pure education at its best. A nice touch that I personally found attractive is the inclusion of the artwork of Mort Kunstler. His artistry is very life-like and detailed, and very accurate as to detail. I came to know his work by reading the magazine "The Blue and the Grey". His paintings are used as backgrounds for various menus, and are a joy to admire.

Installation of the program was very simple. It fully supports the Windows 95 AutoPlay feature, but must be installed the old fashioned way with Windows 3.x. The audio and videos ran smoothly, in fact the whole program did. But this is a Sierra product, and quality is a term that is synonymous with them, at least in my opinion. This support includes the Internet, where if you visit their site (http://www.sierra.com), you can download additional scenarios for this game with the click of a button absolutely free. (And to quote a famous Oregon businessman, "Free is a very good price").

This game represents to me a mid-range Civil War game. By mid-range, I mean it is not overly complicated, yet isn't too simple. It achieves a balance between getting so involved in the rules that one loses sight of the object of the game. At the same time, it isn't so simple as to insult the intelligence of a player. This would be an excellent choice for the casual war gamer, but advanced ones should give it a careful once over before purchasing.