Cold War for Strategic Command Reviewed by Joe Darrow

Review by Joe Darrow of The Cold War for Strategic Command

The Cold War just got hot!

I was highly impressed when I played Narayan Sengupta's Cold War Mod for Strategic Command. What Narayan has done is enhanced the playability of an already enjoyable WWII strategy game and brought to the PC one of the often neglected theaters of modern war.

The Cold War is a dynamic "What If" that has seldom been explored and simulated in PC Gaming. Specifically, the European Theatre of the Cold War. There have been some games (e.g. SSI's Red Lightening) that have tried to capture the anticipated strategy and outcomes associated with a Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe or the Soviet Navy's attempts to dominate the Northern Atlantic but they have mostly fallen flat.

Where others have failed however, Narayan Sengupta has succeeded. He has modified Strategic Command to play a solid NATO/WARSAW PACT Campaign with appropriate tiles and placements.

The scope of Narayan's Campaign "1985, Red Inferno" is impressive.

As NATO your task is daunting, facing an armored and well supported socialist juggernaut that seems unstoppable. As commander of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) and Central Army Group (CENTAG) you face difficult decisions right at the first turn.

As the WARSAW PACT Commander it's classic Soviet strategy, hit NATO with an armored fist in the North German Plain, the Fulda Gap and the Hoff Corridor and the reinforce the breakthrough. And that's just Northern Europe!

Will NATO maintain naval superiority in the Mediterranean ? Can NATO assist Israel in the Middle East? Will the Warsaw Pact invade Northern Italy? Can Warsaw pact naval units prevent US reinforcements from crossing the Atlantic? It's all there, thanks to NS.

For me this overlooked conflict that never was is filled with strategic possibilities. Now one can explore them. Go to Narayan Sengupta's site, download "1985 Red Inferno", and start the Third World War!

Joe Darrow

May 26, 2004

Canada