Interactive Entertainment 12/EPISODE_12_APR_1995.iso/articles/stal/stal.txt

Text File | 1995-03-31 | 5KB | 55 lines

    Stalingrad, Volume Two of Avalon Hill's World at War series, covers the mighty struggle between
Soviet and Axis forces for control of the city of Stalingrad during the fall and winter of 1942 / 1943. The
battle for Stalingrad started late in the summer of 1942 as Axis forces sought to grab hold of this important
industrial city on the Volga River. Instead of an easy victory, however, they found themselves locked into
bitter, house to house fighting in the streets of Stalingrad. The Soviets held off the Axis forces, eventually
sweeping in on the city from the north and south to trap the bulk of the German 6th Army in Stalingrad and
giving the Axis their first major defeat.

    This second World at War game is a large step ahead of any previous Atomic Games effort. The
game is much more ambitious than its predecessors, covering an area up to three hundred kilometers on
a side and involving over a thousand units. Unlike previous Atomic releases, Stalingrad provides you with
three different scales of combat. The 400 meter scale lets you experience the intense, vicious city fighting
in and immediately around Stalingrad. Units at this scale represent battalions and companies. The one
kilometer scale, used in previous Atomic releases, lets you fight some of the broader actions that occurred
on the steppes to the west and south of the city. This scale contains regiments, battalions, and
companies. The three kilometer scale lets you recreate the titanic struggle to either capture or free the
German 6th Army in Stalingrad, and uses just regimental or battalion level units.. Each scale has at least
one shorter scenario (lasting 20 to 29 turns), enabling Stalingrad beginners to get a taste of combat at
each level. Each scale also has a longer scenario (up to 189 turns!), giving the wargaming grognards
plenty to deal with!

    All together, there are seven scenarios. "To the Volga," one of the 400 meter scale scenarios,
focuses on the fight for the Red Barrcades and Red October factories in mid to late October 1942.
"Rattenkrieg," another "city fight" scenario, plays out the entire thirty- one day struggle for the whole of
Stalingrad.. "A River too Far" and "Wintergewitter," one kilometer scale scenarios, play out portions of the
German attempts to relieve the 6th Army. "A River Too Far" (23 turns) covers the final German attempt to
break through to the beleaguered 6th Army in mid-December, and "Wintergewitter" (101 turns) covers
German attempts to relieve the 6th Army from the South. The final three scenarios are all run at the 3 km
scale. "Manstein's Solution" (20 turns) is a hypothetical scenario that uses historical forces, and depicts
potential operations in late November. "Quiet Flows the Don" (17 turns) recreates the Soviet's northern
pincer movement from the northwest of Stalingrad. "Operation Uranus," the grand-daddy scenario at 188
turns, plays out across the entire 3 km scale map and recreates the Soviet's "Operation Uranus" to trap
and destroy the German 6th Army.

    Also new to Stalingrad are several improvements to the World at War interface. The order of
battle display option lets players quickly see what forces they have in play and what the relationships
between the forces are. The overview map display, almost a requirement for this game, lets players get a
single screen over-view of the entire battlefield. While orders can't be issued from this screen, it is very
useful for getting a better feel for what is happening with all your forces, and in helping you to spot
threatening moves by your opponent.

    To help balance out gameplay, Atomic has added a Victory Point adjustment feature. This option
lets you handicap the computer opponent, handicap a skilled human opponent, or even adjust the play
balance in a particular scenario. And speaking of play balance, Stalingrad lets you adjust a variety of
factors, from air superiority and weather to "what if" options for either the Axis or the Soviet forces. These
"what ifs" include changes in Soviet quality and performance, and allow the Axis player to receive
potentially critical reinforcements. These options let you test out possible historical alternatives.

    Stalingrad is a detailed, involved game that should keep your gaming attention for some time to
come. The supporting elements of the game û its beautiful manual ,its ever improving interface, and its
marvelous wargame graphics û only add to the experience. Of course, glitter is nothing without a game,
and the folks at Atomic Games have made certain we have that. The historical detail, powerful wargaming
engine, and varied scenarios give you what you need to make your gaming experience last a long, long
time.