Gettysburg, what many believe to be the seminal battle of the War Between the States, has probably been the subject of more games than any other military conflict. Now Sid Meier (of Civilization fame) has put his stamp on a version of this classic and it is a good one.
   Note these graphics. Not only are they absolutely beautiful, but they greatly contribute to the historical accuracy of the game (this is the famous Seminary Ridge, probably the second best-known location – except for Cemetery Ridge, the site of Pickett's ill-fated "charge" – at the battle scene). Units, portrayed graphically, are labeled according to their commanders, which was the general way it was done during the war itself.
   Our only disappointment was that Gettysburg, unlike Meier's most successful other games to date, has an element of real-time combat to it. It is our belief that top-notch strategy games should be turn-based to some extent or other so that the strategy element is uppermost in the play.
   For a real-time game, however, this one has just about everything: the ability to give orders and change formations, to strengthen units by the proximity of commanders (this is historically correct), shouted orders and warnings and strategic advantages based on the location of troops.
   You can play Gettsburg as a campaign or as individual battles. It is a great deal of fun to follow the actions of the side you choose (the box, by the way, has a Union and a Confederate side, as does the instruction manual). Can you change the course of the battle and, ultimately, the war?
   It is tempting to fight Pickett's charge. I did. At Gettysburg, Pickett sent 16,000 fresh Confederate men up the slopes of Cemetary Ridge into the face of a fearsome onslaught of Union fire. Pickett's men were beaten back and, when ordered to rally for a counterattack, Pickett's famous comment to Robert E. Lee was "Sir, I have no division."
   I lost too. I'll keep trying. Wouldn't it be something to change history? Isn't that what games, especially good ones like Gettysburg, are all about?

   Link to Gettysburg's web page.