My first pc came with several games, and this was one of them. Revolution '76 allows you to control the American side of the war in several ways. You get to decide which people are best for political offices including but not limited to ambassadors, military leaders and treasurers. Financially, you control taxation, troop pay and the level to which your troops are outfitted. The articles of confederation (which historically did not happen until after the war), can also be settled during game play.
The better you are at managing the money, morale, and leadership of the young United States, the more successful you will be at fighting the British. Be careful with your choices, for if you fail your leaders will suffer the ultimate punishment: "Having failed to hang together, the colonists hang separately."
Graphics and Gameplay:
There are no animations in Revolution '76, every aspect of the game is controlled through making selections in a simple GUI. Victories are symbolized with a certain picture, defeats get another, help from foreign lands another, etc. Considering that flight sims such as JetFighter were around concurrently, this is way behind the times. However, the young strategist may still find him or herself addicted in a nationalistic sort of way.
Endgame:
There
are several ways that the game can end. Surrender is a total defeat. Autonomy is as if the war never happened in the first place, and should also be considered as a defeat. Independence is the historical outcome of the war, with the US becoming a free land. If you do everything just right, it is possible to achieve Expansion, where the US will also own Canada and the rest of the North American continent.
Limitations and Drawbacks:
This game really needed animated battle sequences. Also, the traitorous Benedict Arnold is selectable as a general in the game, and ironically enough he's typically one of the better choices to lead your troops. Confederation did not occur until after the war's end, and should not have been a factor in the game. Also, you must periodically deal with rogue attacks from Native Americans. That is largely a nuisance, and wastes perfectly good armies that you will need to break away from the British.
