Military History Commander: Europe at War

With the PC version you could get round this unimaginativeness by finding a live foe. On the DS, however, that sadly isn't an option. For reasons someone on the official Slitherine forum might be able to explain, multiplayer has been lost in translation. Was the porting process rushed or done on the cheap? Maybe. The game itself feels very comfortable in its new shrunken stylus-driven surroundings, but there are some strange gaps. Presentation is extremely sparse (especially considering Slitherine had access to Osprey's and the Military Channel's wonderful libraries) and the fact that none of the DS shoulder or ABXY buttons have been utilised is downright bizarre.

With multiplayer gone and zero modding possibilities, the scenario selection really should have been larger. The '6 epic scenarios' described on the back of the box are certainly epic - take-on the full 1939-45 shooting match and you can expect to be playing for several days. The trouble is they're really just the same giant scenario accessed at six different points in time. Choose 1939 and you begin with Third Reich about to swell Poland-ward. Choose 1941 and it's the eve of Barbarossa. Surely there was room to add a few interesting 'What Ifs'. How about a 41 start with the UK crushed and Britain operating from its various possessions in North Africa? Or let's pretend the Germans won the Battle of the Bulge or managed to take Moscow and Stalingrad?

While CEAW doesn't permit rampant historical meddling there is room for intriguing experimentation. The research system alone offers many possibilities. Throw a lot of resources into U-boat development early in the war and you can attempt to starve Britain into submission. Hothouse Luftwaffe fighter research and maybe the Battle of Britain turns out differently.

Despite absent elements like airborne ops (bold Arnhem-style actions are out of the question) and fortress building, and glaring oversights like the lack of partisans in Western Europe (conquered territories can be left totally unoccupied) the game does manage to communicate a good few strategic truths. Pushing into Russia as the Axis, harsh winter weather and stretched supply lines quickly become a worry. Stalingrad and the Central Asian oilfields are there beckoning to you from the western fringe of the map but reaching them involves a massive commitment of men and machines. The folly of fighting a war on two fronts (unavoidable thanks to the heavy-handed scripting) is particularly starkly illustrated.