Battleground 1: Bulge / Ardennes Deluxe
Sold Out		(Win95/98/Me/XP) (Retail) (BULGEPR)

Talon Soft / Empire Interactive

Game

Ratings:

3 stars from Computer Gaming World

91% from PC Gamer - Editor's Choice

Fast and Furious WWII Action

Time: December, 1944

Place: Ardennes, France

Battleground 1: Bulge is like no other historical strategy game you've ever played. With the revolutionary Battleview combat system you can relive crucial moment during the Battle of the Bulge, the most famous American land battle of WWII. Can you hold off the advancing German war machine? Dig in with the U.S. 101st Ariborne defending freedom from the Nazis at Bastogne, or ride to victory with the legendary German King Tiger tank. Take command of Peiper's infamous SS or lead a blistering U.S. counterattack to retake Stoumont.

Completely new 3-D graphics

Revised game engine featuring strength-point losses, enhanced unit concealment and variable A/I advantage control

Platoon-level action at 250 meters per hex

Full-feature Scenario Editor

Play head-to-head via modem-to-modem, null modem, play-by-emain or two-player hot seat with Fog of War

Drag-and-drop movement and combat

Simple point-and-click interface

Variable Command Control: Command som or all of your forces - ideal for novices

40 historical scenarios, covering actions around Bastogne, Clervaux, Stoumont, La Gleize, St. Vith, and Rochefort!

Requirements: Windows 3.1 or Windows 95/98/Me/XP, IBM and 100% compatibles, 486DX33 minimum, double speed CD-ROM drive, 8MB minimum RAM, Microsoft compatible mouse, 256 color SVGA, 640x480, 800x600, or 1024x768, all Windows compatible sound cards.

Reviews:

Computer Gaming World, January 1996

"Battleground: Ardennes, the first game released by new publisher TalonSoft, recreates 23 battles between the American and German armies from December 1944 to January 1945. The game also includes three hypothetical scenarios and a tutorial scenario. In the early battles, the initial confusion caused by the surprise German onslaught forces the Americans to fight holding actions against overwhelming odds. On the German side, Ardennes portrays the difficulty of conducting a blitzkrieg attack through close terrain in the dead of winter. Later, the Germans must contend with a massive American counterattack to avoid being trapped in the bulge their offensive created."

"Even though Ardennes is designed more with fun than realism in mind, it does use historically accurate orders of battle, providing players with a true picture of combat in World War II. Infantry units far outnumber armored units and must be relied upon to conduct the brunt of the fighting. In addition, German Tigers and Panthers are represented in the numbers in which they were actually present. You quickly learn to appreciate armored support when you have it, and avoid subjecting your tank units to unnecessary risks.

"Long-term playability is a question mark. With the weak AI, veteran wargamers will find that all but the most difficult scenarios can be easily won on the first attempt. And even though the AI will vary its strategy from battle to battle, once you've played and won a scenario from either side, playing it again seems almost pointless. Modem play is nicely done and helps make up for the lack of challenging AI. The scenario editor does add to the long-term value of the game, but because you're limited to the three map sets that come with Ardennes, you can't alter the terrain or create new maps."

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