Reviewed by Michael Peck
The Military Book Review

This game should be a winner. It resembles Axis & Allies, the simple but phenomenally successful World War II game. It was designed by Gary Grigsby, who is the nearest thing to royalty in computer war-gaming.

So what's not to like? The answer depends on what you, the gamer, like. World at War is deceptive. Though it looks easy, there is a tremendous amount going on under the hood. Grigsby's hallmark has been complex simulations that sometimes resemble spreadsheets more than games. The canny old pro has changed the wrapper, yet the content is still sophisticated and demanding.

But not at first glance. WaW's resemblance to Axis & Allies is unmistakable, down to the digital pieces that look like big plastic figures. There is the same variety of unit types, such as infantry, tanks, artillery, carriers, bombers and battleships. Yet a glance at the 126-page manual dispels the illusions of similarity.

In Axis & Allies your factories just produce; in WaW, resources must be traced to the factories via ocean convoys and rail lines. Axis & Allies has a simple research system that gives your pieces a little bit of an edge; WaW has a complex system by which you purchase research points to boost eight attributes, from speed to anti-aircraft and torpedo ratings. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two war games is that Axis & Allies has no supply system, while WaW has optional rules for supply trucks. No supplies and your tanks can't move nor your aircraft fly.

WaW is fun. Players have a tremendous ability to shape their forces. Buy lots of tanks and pour all your research points into armor and you'll have a horde of super panzers. But if your opponent has invested in better aircraft, you risk being bombed to pieces. There's the constant tension of splitting limited production output between buying new troops, purchasing supplies and funding research. Victory belongs to those who wisely allocate resources.

Yet there's the paradox of this game. WaW can't make up its mind whether it wants to be playable or realistic. There's so much to do in this two-player war game (where the Axis controls Germany and Japan and the Allies control the Western Allies, Russia and China) that playability suffers.

On the other hand, realism is marred by the game's rigidity. It strangely begins in spring 1940 with the Germans poised to invade France, rather than in 1939 with the attack on Poland. There is no diplomacy, so neutrals such as Spain and Turkey cannot be lured into either camp. The U.S. and Russia are frozen until they are attacked by the Axis, or until 1943. This means Germany can invade Britain and still the U.S. sleeps in splendid isolation.

Axis & Allies is fast, fun and definitely not historical. WaW is slower, more historical, and may or may not be fun, depending on whether you like playability or history.