Hearts of Iron III: No Substitute for Victory Company: Paradox Interactive No matter how jaded I get with this industry (and believe me, its coming), strategy games like Paradox's Hearts of Iron series will always have a special place in my heart. Growing up, my dad would call himself a gamer, but I would laugh. For me, a "gamer" was someone who could at the very least get past Don Flamingo in Punch-Out and knew every warp pipe in Super Mario. My dad couldn't do either, but he could spend hours at his worktable playing Avalon Hill strategy games. I lacked the patience and attention span to play the games (if it wasn't blinking with sounds, I wasn't interested), but as I got older, I began to realize just how engrossing and cool tabletop board games could be. I still lack the patience to sit for hours in front of the board, but the jump to digital form helps keep me interested. Hearts of Iron III is as deep as strategy games get. This isn't a game of small bases and skirmishes, but a game whose battle is global in scope -- World War II. After choosing a nation, you are charged with turning it into a global superpower by developing every facet of its structure - from the economy right on down to its technological infrastructure. Okay, so I know what you're thinking, "Oh boy... another WWII game." While true, Hearts of Iron isn't like other WWII games. For one, you can play as nearly any government around at the time, including governments without a country. Playing as one of the major superpowers (Allies, Soviets or Axis) offers a more typical strategy game, but playing as a minor world power is just as interesting - if not a little more interesting. You can try and piece together small armies using your countrymen or attempt to outsmart and outlast larger countries diplomatically. One feature Paradox is pushing with Hearts of Iron III is the ability to automate certain aspects of gameplay. Previous games were fun, but for only a small handful of the gaming populace. With Hearts of Iron III, you can assign A.I. assistants to oversee various parts of your empire. For instance, if you want to focus your efforts on your military exploits, you can ask the A.I. to tend to your economy. Alternately, you can run battles on multiple fronts; you tend to one while your advisors look after others. Players who want the help but aren't comfortable with handing a large army to the A.I. can still keep tabs on their digital-apprentice by handing out specific, broad orders such as attacking certain areas. The A.I. makes the game a little easier (it's a good thing), but there's still a lot of depth to dig through. Hearts of Iron III is a game of information. Without up-to-the-minute details on your nation, you've already lost. The game offers dozens of strategic map overlays that offer information on anything you could ever want to know. Each is color-coded, so you'll know what you're looking for at a glance. Some indicate economic conditions while others show technology. During battle, you'll see green or red markers indicating how well battles are going. Another will indicate weather patterns, which directly influence your battle plans. Along with the overlays, on-screen indicators also sound to make sure you always know what's going on. Time and a solid release will tell if Hearts of Iron III's A.I.-run additions will indeed make for a more accessible game, but coming from the hardcore strategy perspective, would-be world leaders will find a lot to like. -Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker Related Links: Hearts of Iron III -- Product Page (Paradox) Paradox Interactive