The Third Reich is a fairly faithful adaptation of the Avalon Hill board game of the same name. It is a strategy game that was released to the DOS format in the middle nineties. It features a top down perspective and is a historically themed war game. It is complex and has a large learning curve, making it a very difficult play for gamers new to this genre or who have not played the board game of this name.
The Third Reich focuses on the Second World War the user has a choice of playing as either the Axis (Germany, Italy, and their forced military conquests) or Allied forces (Russia, England, France, and the United States and so forth).
There are scenarios from influential years, such as 1939, 1942, and 1944, as well as the rest of the war. Scenarios are located in historically accurate and influential theaters such as the Eastern and Western fronts, as well as the Mediterranean, including North Africa. Players can face the computer’s AI, or can play in hot seat mode against a second human player. There is no modem play supported in this version of the game.
The Third Reich is not a simple game. The board game itself has a plethora of rules and sub rules, and they transfer to the computer version. The learning curve is very long, taking upwards of forty-five minutes just to get the feel for the basics. The nuances of the
game will challenge the user for hours beyond that. The focus of the game play is mostly on resource management as opposed to tactical battles and strategic combat. The main unit of currency is the Basic Resource Point, which can be used to perform actions and make actual purchases, such as units or weaponry.
The game is turn-based really turn based. Each turn has phases and sub-phases that are far too detailed and complex to even describe in a brief review. Even the simplest of tasks, such as placing an army, is belabored by a series of phases and requests.
The Third Reich is highly recommended to everyone!
