Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

100 or More Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Highly addictive"

Years ago fans of war gaming discovered a gem of a series called Panzer General and it's subsequent sequel Panzer General II. PGII became an instant classic with hundreds of mods being developed by a fan base that is still going strong years later. Slitherine recently introduced Panzer Corps, which is basically an improved, yet very similar game to the original PGII. How does it match up. It exceeds in every aspect. This is no small feat since if you've never played either game, you have missed out on one of the most addictive and replayable games in history. If you're looking for flashy graphics or first person shooter war gaming, this is not about that. If you're looking for a war game that takes strategy, is able to rewrite history, and offers infinite replayability due to modding and attempting to win in different ways, this is the game for you. The game starts at the beginning of World war II. It is a hex based game in which you move units during your turn, either getting them into better positions or attacking. Then your opponent takes his turn. as each unit moves or attacks, a counter shows how much damage you received and how much you inflicted. Each scenario has a set of objectives, usually to seize several cities or a capitol. You can choose whether to do only the requirements or take your armies further and try to capture more cities for points to buy more units, upgrade old ones, or both. The campaigns are brilliant. If you start as the Germans in WWII, it will amazingly follow the real historical timeline and sequence of battles in WWII. You begin in Poland...defeat the poles and you then are able to focus on the western front and begin winning the initial battles that will allow you to invade France and tak Paris. Here's the best part. The Nazis had a plan to invade England that never materialized because thay overstretched their troops when they declared war on Russia before they had defeated tha allied armies. But in Panzer corps, if you're good enough you can rewrite history. You can actually invade England and even the United States! You're not locked into a specific style of play either. Of course, having a balanced army makes things easier, but say you really like planes....fighters, bombers, and such. You can use your points to amass a huge air force and play that strategy. sane goes with armor (tanks). Your strategy is only limited by your imagination and the points needed to buy new troops. On that note, the game has plenty of difficulty settings...set it to easiest and you'll roll through the opposing forces and countries like a Blitzkrieg, buying units until your army is just overwheming. Play the highest difficulty and all I can say is good luck! The medium setting was perfect for me, challenging and fun. One of the best things about this game is that if you want to play for a short period, say thirty minutes, you can pick an option and do it,,,,maybe a short scenario like a certain battle or just continue your campaign which can be saved at any point even after every single move. If you like a fun and well paced strategy game, don;t miss this gem. If you remember the days of Panzer General II fondly, you will be thrilled with this game. A must buy for the avid war gamer!!!