Across the Rhine

Across the Rhine is a video game in the strategy genre developed by MPS Labs and published by MicroProse Ltd. originally released in 1995. It is currently playable on DOS.

Across the Rhine: 1944 - 1945 Armored Combat in Western Europe is a mix between strategy and simulation game set in World War II. The game focuses on individual tank battles during the Allied invasion of Normandy, which means that the player cannot influence the overall outcome of the war. The battles are mostly historically accurate, but some of them use hypothetical situations.

However, the basic situation is always the same: the player is in charge of tank battalions and tries to defeat his enemy. The player is presented with various windows showing different information, for example, a tactical map, a strategic map or a battlefield from the view of a tank. The size and position of these windows can be freely arranged. From these windows you also give orders to your tanks, e. g. by assigning waypoints or changing the behavior. All this in real time. The player also has the opportunity to directly take control of a tank - there he can choose between several viewpoints, including the driver's or gunner's view, and controls the movement and turret. Optionally, the AI can take over the movement. This part of the game is more of a simulation than an action game.

During the three campaigns the player takes control of both parts. He gathers a soldier who, depending on the results of the battle, is promoted during the course of the game, resulting in command over more units. There are also many options to adjust the realism of the game in different areas, for example, manual fuel distribution, limited ammunition, morale, air support or even invulnerability.

Across the Rhine is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.