Airborne Assault also differs from traditional war games in that it eschews the hexagon.  The game's vector drawn map is based on actual World War II Allied maps of the area from 1944.  Because it is vector drawn, there are no artificial constraints on unit movement such as those imposed by hexagon spaces.  Units can follow roads and avoid, skirt, or move right through terrain features. The map supports several zoom levels, allowing you to focus on one area of the battle or take in the whole situation in one glance.

The AI in the game is very competent, whether it is controlling the opposing side or directing your units to follow your orders.  Scenarios featuring evenly matched sides will provide plenty of challenge.  Although there are no difficulty settings, you can make things easier for yourself by choosing a scenario in which one side has the advantage or by selecting options at the start of a scenario to hinder the enemy's supplies or prevent any reinforcements from arriving.

It is very nice to see the level of research that obviously went into the design of this game.  All of the units that took place in the battle (and those that could have in the case of the "what if?" scenarios) are present in the game, meticulously researched and rated in a number of categories including personnel, supply, fatigue, morale, staff quality, and more.  The manual is also very detailed, not only describing how to play the game, but also providing information on how the game operates.  There is also a nice historical section that recounts the events of the battle and provides analysis into the reasons for its failure.  The best simulations of historical battles are always those that are a labor of love, and it is obvious that the game's designers are passionate about the subject matter.

Like most war games, Airborne Assault does not provide many bells and whistles.  There is the sound of gun fire when units engage, but in large battles this can grow to be tiresome.  Also, despite its departure from many war gaming norms, the units are still flat, chit-like counters.

While Airborne Assault focuses on an interesting battle of World War II, it is this focus that is ultimately limiting.  There are a variety of scenarios in the game (and an included scenario maker), but they all cover the same operation and take place on the same map.  Whether or not this limitation will reduce your ultimate enjoyment of the game is something you'll need to decide for yourself.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 84%.  A well-researched and designed game that's a bit of a departure from your standard war game.

System Requirements:  Pentium II 366;  64 MB RAM;  2 MB Video RAM; 4x CD-ROM;  200 MB Hard Drive Space;  Mouse.

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