Which war featured an invasion of the continental US, the birth of the Star Spangled Banner, and had its most famous battle occur after the war had technically ended? The answer is the War of 1812 - a war that hardly, if ever, has been the subject of computer games. HPS has turned its attention to this 'forgotten war' in The War of 1812: The Conquest of Canada. The result is a nice little wargame that will appeal to most wargamers, especially those with an interest in the war or Napoleonic era warfare in general.

The War of 1812 was developed by John Tiller, the designer of HPS' well-received game Campaign 1776. Tiller again has produced a well-researched, detailed game that thoroughly covers its subject matter.

The game can be played as individual scenarios or as a campaign. The campaign game presents players with strategic choices. Depending on the actions chosen by both sides, a battle will ensue which is played out as a scenario. The results of the battles and strategic decisions will eventually lead to a victory for the US or the British.

The game runs as a Windows application, allowing it make full use of a point-and-click and menu driven interface. Units are given basic movement and firing options with the mouse, with more complicated actions executed by selecting from a row of toolbox icons at the top of the window.

The game strives to be historically accurate and the game's units reflect morale, troop quality, armament, fatigue, and more. The units are company-sized, play takes place on 125' wide hexes, and turns generally represent five minutes of real time. Play can proceed either in turn-based mode or in phases. Phases each side alternates during each phase of a turn.

The War of 1812 also includes both a campaign and a scenario editor to allow players to create and share their recreations of battles both historical and hypothetical.

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