GameTek UK published the final installment of the Universal Military Simulator series, called the War College, in the middle nineties after a string of three games…the being the third. It is a made-for-DOS game and benefits well from an emulator, although the action is not so fast that it is impossible on modern machines. It plays from the topdown perspective and is a combination of a tactical war simulation and an educational experience, since Intergalactic Developmental Incorporated made every effort to keep the War College historically accurate during its making.
The War College, like the other games in the series, plays in real time.
The main focus of the War College is historical accuracy and the user can look forward to seeing some exceptionally diversified units for that reason. The game focuses on four different battles from extremely different time periods and involving different countries, allowing for a lot of variation in units and topography. The maps are well created and accurate to the real battlefields, which is especially cool because geography plays a part in success and failure on the screen. Terrain hampers and speeds movement and also adds or detracts from defensive and offensive capabilities.
The battles that the gamer will get to see are truly different from one
another. The Battle of Pharsalus took place in 48 BC during the Roman Civil War and will obviously utilize some equipment considered interesting but archaic by modern standards. There are melee units only. This was an important battle because Caesar became emperor of Rome through it. The Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 will see the French forces of Napoleon fighting the Russians and Austrians and maneuvering and tactics will be very important in this battle. The third battle the user can select is the famous Battle of Antietam in 1862, a crucial turning point in the American Civil War. The final choice for wars is the 1914 Battle of Tannenberg, a war in which the German army defeated a Russian contingency that featured far superior numbers.
The game play is pretty simple. The user will keep in mind things like fatigue and experience while making decisions. He will give very basic order based on his analysis of these things. He will order movements, reinforcements, fortification and will also select battle formation. The results of the battle will come in brief text messages and the units are represented by colored dashes and lines. The graphics are nothing to write home about, but the learning element is very real and the attention to historical detail make the War College a winner.
