REVIEW

Napoleon in Russia

By Richard Moore

Austerlitz Play-by-Email Austerlitz: The Rise of the Eagle - the premier play-by-email Napoleonic wargame

Borodino was one of the largest battles of the bloody Napoleonic Wars and saw the magnificent French Grand Armee take on the Russian Army on the road to Moscow.

It was 1812 and no-one in modern times had ever seen 255,000 soldiers throwing themselves at each with such ferocity.

The battle ended, arguably, as a French victory but as most people know they went on to Moscow and there winter, cossacks, hunger and disease would eat away at them until only 20,000, of an original 700,000, would get home.

Talonsoft gives wargamers the chance to refight Borodino and see if (as the French) they can win decisively and avoid the great retreat or, as the Russians, try to fight so fiercely Napoleon just goes home.

Like Waterloo (Battleground 3) before it, Napoleon in Russia offers all the colour and excitement of an era when show meant almost as much as effectiveness.

Again the maps are terrific, the figures are great to look at and gameplay is good.

Move your men in line or column and when enemy cavalry appears form square as quickly as you can.

It is exciting stuff but, Napoleon in Russia is a huge beast and you really need to install the full version to get the best out of it.

There are 21 scenarios that can take from two hours, or full scale clashes that need 52 turns.

There are no early finishes in the longer games and once you've completed your victory objectives you will still have to end the turn count before being rated as a winner.

Magnificent, but not for beginners.

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