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REVIEWS

Back when I was a kid, I cut my teeth on Avalon Hill die cut games. What an improvement from Risk the only wargame I thought existed. I remember just aching for some realistic detail as I watched opponents move there hordes over mountains and open sea with no movement penalty. The discovery of Avalon Hill was a godsend. Their games gave us actual units that required real strategy to maneuver around terrain that had to be accounted for. So I was somewhat excited to open Axis & Allies  by Hasbro. I’m always on the look out for that special game that balances eye candy without insulting my historical sensibilities. I admit after my first attempt at Axis & Allies   I was a little disappointed. I kept thinking this is nothing but a souped up version of Risk or Stratego . Of course, that’s my fault--unrealistic expectations. Axis & Allies  is a quick fun easy game with only a nod to historical accuracy and that’s it. To be fair, Hasbro© doesn’t advertise the game as a competitor to Operational Art of War.

My baseline for a wargame would have to be Tanks, Steel Panthers and East Front. The Operational Art of War would be one end of the spectrum with a learning curve steeper than the Matterhorn. The other end would be games like Battleship© and Axis & Allies. Not much of a challenge here but if the graphics are right and the game engine smooth--fun can be had. Granted Axis & Allies  is easy and fun (for a while), and the cinematic are wonderful—but that’s it. The AI is lame and becomes very predictable, but Hasbro is aware and promises an upgrade. Still, I can’t see Axis & Allies as a great solitaire game. The real fun is multiplayer. I convinced three non-wargaming buddies to try it out. Several hours later with the paperboy walking up to my doorstep we finally called it quits. (My superior wargaming experience in the guise of Zhukov wiped the globe with them—hehe). Even so, unless someone wants to play hotseat I’m just not sure there is much of a challenge—eye candy and intuitive interface will only go so far.

Turns in Axis & Allies come in a six phase ‘Action Sequence.’ This begins with weapons development and purchasing. You decide where to spend your I.P.C.’s (industrial production points) these are analogous to the Prestige points of the  Panzer General games. In short, you can either spend for the present turn, or start development for future turns, or both. The second phase of the Action sequence is combat. You simply click and drag your units into enemy occupied zones (those with enemy units) or enemy controlled zones (shaded areas that were originally occupied by the enemy). You can fight or merely intimidate. If you fight a brief examination of unit combat strength and capability will help. Their features are well documented, but for the most part their use is intuitive and not at all complex. In Action sequence 3, your combat phase ‘dice rolling’ resolves all combat (and yes you see the dice on screen). Following combat comes Action sequence 4 where you can move any unit you did not for combat. Here some potential for strategy exists as you try to orchestrate combination punches—strong attacks which are quickly reinforced. Action sequence 5 allows you to place all of the units you have purchased. The final sequence you collect your income.

As I mentioned, the unit’s capabilities are obvious. Strategic bombers cannot land on carriers and like fighters, they cannot land on newly conquered territories. So some thought must be given to building up theater air superiority. The fun thing with bombers is taking out your enemy’s industrial capacity. You simply click and drag over enemy industrial complexes, but watch out for AA. Naval units have some interesting quirks. Battleships can attack or defend sea zones and shell coastal zones and islands. They also seem indispensable for amphibious assaults, although not required. Aircraft carriers can carry as many as two fighter units and no distinctions are made between land based and naval aircraft so they can become very convenient transports. Submarines have some interesting withdrawal options. But hey folks this stuff isn’t modeled for any semblance of realism, it’s just fun with a W.W.II theme.

Reviewed by Robert Micallef