Axis & Allies - PC Review - Gamecenter

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Axis & Allies

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Easier to Clean, Not to Play
If you have four friends at your house, you won't get much advantage from playing the PC game over the board game (aside from the easy cleanup). In fact, the board game is easier to grasp with multiple people because no scrolling is required. What makes the PC version of A&A a promising multiplayer game is that you can play it over the Internet. Axis Unfortunately, this is also the least functional part of the game.
After many attempts, I was able to finish only one game over the Internet without a crash. I tried several games (with from two to five people) and they all crashed eventually (except for a single, two-person game). I surveyed dozens of people on Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone (the free matching service for A&A), and only a few boasted about finishing a game at all. I use a cable modem, and even with ridiculously low ping times, the game crashes regularly. This isn't acceptable for any game, let alone a turn-based game. Another multiplayer annoyance is the chat feature. All chats are visible to all players. For example, you're privy to information like this: "Hey Japan, soften up India for me so I can take it next round. Shhhhh." For a game dependent on team play, this makes discussing strategy difficult. At least with the board game, you could whisper in your partner's ear.
There is one other nice feature that deserves mention, but it too is a mixed blessing. The "time machine" option allows players to scroll back as many moves as desired and continue playing from that point. Although this is a great feature, on long games I've filled the history log. At that point, the game crashes, and there is no way to continue.
If you hope to join those grognards who call food shopping a "reinforcement phase" or define walking the dog as a "reconnaissance phase," A&A is a necessary step in your education. The health risks are not yet completely understood, and this author will not be held responsible for any symptoms of Grognard Syndrome (which include sleepless nights and continually uttering the phrase "one more turn"). Nonetheless, Axis & Allies is a classic board game, and the PC game is a faithful reproduction. If a patch ever fixes the multiplayer problems, it will become a classic PC game as well.
Tips
-The AI makes for a good opponent, but it's a lousy teammate. When playing against the computer, you should manually control all countries on your side. The computer has little concept of teamwork, and even if there is only one enemy left, it might not help you. This leads to very long games and maybe a full history log.
-Try to concentrate on one enemy at a time. All team members should gang up when possible. If you can get one enemy out of the game, it becomes much easier to remove the next.
-Tanks are effective attackers and average defenders, so always take the opportunity to attack tanks before they attack you.
-Remember that no matter how good your navy is, you can't win the game without ground troops.
-Because a significant part of the strategy in A&A is economic, spend only as much as you can get away with on your navy.

If you like this type of game, you might want to check out Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far or Panzer General II.
Talk it up! Discuss this game on Gamecenter's message boards.

Hugh Falk currently owns a TRS-80, TI 99/4A, Apple IIc, Vic-20, C-64, X-64, Atari ST, Commodore, Amiga, two networked PCs, and several old game systems. His goal is to someday load them all into a balloon and use the heat they generate to circle the globe. Agree or disagree with the review? Let us know.

Facts

Axis & Allies
Hasbro Interactive
Price: $40.00
Pentium-133, 16MB RAM, 40MB disk space, 4X CD-ROM, Windows 95, 1MB graphics card, sound card

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