Panzer Generals: Allied Assault

Have you ever wondered what the greatest battles of World War II would have been like if they’d been played on a six-by-five grid, with battle altering cards in hand and a unit’s survival determined by a fateful roll of the dice? If the answer to this is yes, welcome to Panzer General. If not, then you probably should have, because it’s quite entertaining.

Panzer General is a strategy game blending both board and card into something that works really well. Taking inspiration from the greatest battles of the Second World War, you will find yourself in command of the allied forces in battles ranging from the D-Day landings to Operation Market Garden.

Starting with a tutorial level, the game explains the way to play – using the cards in your hand to launch air attacks, deploy more units to battle or just increase your strategic advantage. When battle starts, as well as bonuses from terrain and supporting units, you can play further cards to increase your attack, lower the enemy’s defense, or take a sneaky snapshot and lower the enemy health before they know what’s hit them.

Panzer Generals is one of those games that teaches you enough to get by, but to get the most out of the game you will benefit from learning the tactical advantages and disadvantages of each card – more so as you will unlock further cards as the game progresses. I found myself falling into the trap of being somewhat cocky – beating the first campaign mission with a superior victory gave me the impression that I knew what I was doing. The next mission taught me the error of my ways in no uncertain terms as a barrage of Germany’s equivalent of Dad’s Army blocked my advances and scuppered any chance of a superior win. I was lucky to even win the battle, to be honest.

Graphically, the game board is actually a board – complete with a little gold Panzer General plaque. The dice roll through the action adding more to the table feel and the units in play look right at home in their table top setting – even going to the extent of being represented by a non-descript card when not in visual range.

There is a multiplayer mode, but I haven’t tried this. Not because I don’t want to, but because I really want to hone my skills on the single player levels before I take on another player. I’m still firmly in the fumble my way through the game camp at the moment.