Review by: Jim Brumbaugh
Published: December 10, 1997

World War II has been examined in many war games throughout the history of computer gaming. When a new game covering the WWII era is released, one might wonder exactly what the attraction to such a product might be. Perhaps it is a sequel to a game that that was popular in the past. Perhaps it is a game that is being created by a company that has a historical track record in producing successful wargames. It might be a product that incorporates new features and new technologies in order to produce a superior product. In the case of SSI’s Panzer General II, all of the above are true.

Panzer General II represents the “next generation” in computer wargaming. The first thing that a player will notice is that this game looks nothing like any wargame ever produced before. For starters, the background artwork used in this product is truly unique. A full 30 maps were created for Panzer General II, all painstakingly hand-drawn to look as much like real maps as is possible. Each map was drawn to scale, to give the player the feeling of an isometric view on every map. Secondly, each military unit was created from an actual 3-dimensional model. Six facings of each unit were recorded and digitized, providing the player with a level of animation unheard of in traditional wargames. Unless the player decides to turn “hexsides” on, he may have to remind himself from time to time that he is playing a wargame.

In addition to visual improvements, Panzer General II also sports an enhanced gaming engine. Players of SSI’s Five Star Series of games will recognize a majority of the “Rules Of War” as employed in this game. In addition to mastering different strategies of attacking and defending, there are also more subtle techniques and concepts that the player must learn. It is not sufficient to merely examine the strengths of attacking and defending units; the type of terrain each unit occupies must also be considered, along with the experience of each unit, its initiative value, and of the level of entrenchment of defending units. In order to maintain his fighting forces at acceptable levels, the player must also purchase replacements for his depleted units, and on occasion, he might also consider requisitioning new core units to supplant his more experienced fighting forces.

In order to purchase new core units or reinforce existing ones, a system of prestige points must be understood and mastered. Although most easily grasped as a form of “money,” prestige is more accurately defined as the opinion of the commanders with respect to the success of a particular general’s battle strategy. Unlike other games in the General series, prestige points are not awarded for the destruction of individual units; rather, they are bestowed for the capture of enemy objectives. These points can then be used to purchase new core units, to order replacements for existing ones, or to overstrengthen veteran units when playing a campaign game. However, the player of Panzer General II must be aware that the opposing general is also awarded prestige points for the capture of the objectives that the player is trying to hold, requiring that both offensive and defensive strategies be considered and employed.

There are a total of thirty-five different single-player scenarios, organized into four campaigns. Each can be played from either the Axis or the Allied perspective, and scenario settings range from Europe to North Africa to the United States. Multiplayer capabilities are also included in Panzer General II, and some games can be played by up to four players. There are several ways to engage in a multiplayer battle, including LAN, Internet, and via SSI’s Internet service, Club SSI. If desired, two-player E-mail games can also be fought.

Anticipating that the serious wargamer may exhaust the available scenarios, SSI also created a full-featured scenario builder that is included in Panzer General II. This editor allows the player to adjust any conditions contained on a particular map, including weather conditions, prestige allotments and unit strengths. With all this to offer, Panzer General II will spend a great deal of time on the wargamer’s hard drive.