Not just another computer war game, Gettysburg Multimedia Battle Simulation is a well produced, interactive history lesson on CD-ROM, in which you give the marching orders to General Robert E. Lee's fearsome Army of Northern Virginia or the Union's Army of the Potomac. The condition and strength of the troops at the beginning of the battle are historically accurate. Gettysburg teaches the strategy of 19th-century warfare and shows how hard-fought the Battle of Gettysburg was - how it could have gone either way. Narrated by Civil War historian Shelby Foote, the disc contains several minidocumentaries on a variety of Civil War subjects. Foote's rich, Mississippian's voice provides continuous battlefield commentary.
The simulation contains a timeline and detailed maps of the Gettysburg battlefield, so you always know exactly when and where you are. Choose a friend or the computer as your opponent, and fight for the Blue or the Gray. You can command separate brigades or whole divisions. Click on the binoculars icon, and scenes from Ted Turner's film Gettysburg appear to illustrate what's going on in the battle. Infantry, cavalry, and artillery units are all represented. They can be individually directed as they advance, retreat, and entrench themselves in defensive positions. Gettysburg lets you reenact the battle just as it happened, or modify certain elements to see if you can change history. I discovered that with a more effective artillery barrage on the final day of the battle, General George Pickett's fateful charge on Cemetery Ridge might have been successful. If you have a passion for American history, this disc is worth including in your multimedia library.
Gettysburg Multimedia Battle Simulation for Windows: US$69.95. Turner Interactive: +1 (404) 885 7972, fax +1 (404) 885 6997.
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