Pyramid Review
Axis and Allies
Published by Hasbro Interactive
$34.95
System Requirements: Pentium 100 Mhz or higher, Windows 95, 4x speed CD-ROM drive, 16 MB of RAM, and 40 MB of free Hard Disk space.I've always enjoyed Axis and Allies, but I can rarely find several other players who each have five or six hours to kill at the same time. As a result, my copy of the board game sits collecting dust in my closet. That's not likely to change now that Hasbro Interactive has released its faithful and enjoyable CD-ROM version of Milton Bradley's classic World War II board game. The computer version solves the problem of having to round up players, and eliminates the tedious chore of setting up the board. From the impressive opening movie to the video clips for air raids, anti-aircraft guns, and offshore bombardments, to the final clip for each alliance's victory, the game is as riveting as the tabletop equivalent.
Before I extol the virtues of the game, I must point out a few flaws. The main weakness is the quality of the Artificial Intelligence. While you can set each computer player at one of three skill levels, I didn't notice much difference in play style between them. What I did notice was that no matter what level I had them set on, computer controlled players didn't work together with team members. For example, after defeating Germany, I loaded two British infantry units aboard an American transport in the Mediterranean, assuming that Eisenhower would move his transport . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: December 11, 1998
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