While the AI plays a competent game most of the time, it is not difficult for war game veterans to win on a consistent basis. The AI does not seem to develop an overall strategy, instead relying on the tactic of capturing or holding the nearest cities.  Setting the game at higher difficulty levels results in combat bonuses for the AI.  Instead of leading to more challenging games, though, it tends to make the game less balanced and can even be frustrating at times as your attacks will succeed under only the best of conditions.  The AI also tends to follow the same script at the opening of some of the game's scenarios.  For example, in the 1944 scenario, an Allied computer player always lands its forces at Normandy.  When playing as the Allies, though, it is quite easy to land your forces in Denmark and Northern Germany, something that the computer AI never really seems to anticipate.

In addition to the problems with submarines and air intercepts mentioned earlier, the game has a couple of other quirks.  The first is with partisan units.  These units spring up at random in conquered territory of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.  In Strategic Command, these units are basically regular armies that exhibit very aggressive behavior that leads to unrealistic situations.  In one game, a Yugoslav partisan unit survived attacks by two Italian armies, disengaged itself from the battle during the Allied turn, and made a beeline for the capital, liberating the country.  In another, a Yugoslav partisan appeared and promptly marched across the border and conquered Hungary, causing several Hungarian armies to be disappear from the frontlines in Russia.  As the Allies, I was able to march a partisan unit into central Germany, taking several cities before the AI could react.  Luckily, partisan units are optional, and their appearance can be turned off at the start of the game.

Another issue occurs with the reinforcement of minor allies.  Major powers can spend their MPPs to reinforce the armies of minor countries.  When playing as the Axis, the invasion of Belgium is always an exercise in frustration.  It can take many turns to conquer the capital as the Belgian army stationed there entrenches itself, takes damage from attacking forces during the turn, and is then promptly restored to full strength by Britain.  If the British were able to buy a never-ending supply of Belgian soldiers in the real world, World War II would have been over a lot faster than it was.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 68%.  While playing out World War II on a grand strategic scale can be entertaining, Strategic Command has number of quirks that might limit its appeal to serious war gamers.  If you're looking for some "war gaming lite" or are new to war games, Strategic Command's simple play mechanics and grand scale might make it an enjoyable diversion for you.

System Requirements:  Pentium 166;  32 MB RAM;  4 MB Video RAM; 4x CD-ROM;  50 MB Hard Drive Space;  Mouse.

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