The Great War: 1914-1918

The Great War: 1914-1918 is a video game in the strategy genre developed by Blue Byte Studio GmbH and published by Blue Byte Studio GmbH originally released in 1992. It is currently playable on DOS.

History Line (released as The Great War: 1914 - 1918 in the United States by SSI) is a World War I tactical wargame based on an improved and modified engine used in Blue Byte's earlier Battle Isle games. It is one of the few WWI tactical wargames ever made for PC, and is a fun and enjoyable game, although the shortcomings and awkward controls will take some getting used to.

When the game starts, you see the main menu, and you can change some of the options and keyboard controls (the game also supports the mouse), and also enter a map code if you have unlocked hidden maps. When starting a new game, you can choose to play with the Allies (France) or with the Central Powers (Germany). The game starts with a battle in August 1914, with Germany invading France. Every two months, there is a battle, for a total of 24. You are also encouraged to try to conserve your units, as they will gain experience and become more powerful.

The game is unique in having a split screen - one side plays on the left side, and the other on the right. While the computer or the other player (History Line supports 'hot' play) is making their moves, you can also make yours on the other side. With the exception of different units or new maps, it doesn't make much difference to separate the two sides. Once you finish the game as one side, there's not much incentive to play the other.

The objective in History Line is simple: in each battle, destroy the other side's army or take their headquarters. Each turn is divided into two phases: the movement phase and the command phase. In the movement phase, you plan your moves, and then both sides move at the same time. In the Orders phase, you plan your attacks, and then see the results in a short graphic clip (which can be turned off once you get bored of them). The battle continues in this way until one side or the other is defeated. There are also warehouses and factories that start on your side or are neutral. If you occupy them, you can 'use' the units in them, as well as repair damaged units if you have enough energy points left. Units vary and are historically accurate, from infantry to cavalry and various types of artillery. However, they do not need to be resupplied, which reduces the historical accuracy of the game somewhat.

The graphics are simple VGA shapes and designs, old looking but still pleasing to the eye and you can see everything clearly and recognize a unit just by its graphic. The music and sound effects are good, but get tedious after a while. One of my biggest complaints about the game are the controls. They are clunky, to say the least. To make a unit do something, you have to place the cursor over it and hold down the mouse button, which causes an 'X' to appear over the unit. You then move the mouse in one direction or the other to execute commands: down to get information about the unit, or up to move it, for example, and then release the mouse button to execute it. Slow, tedious and uncomfortable. You also do the same thing to switch from one mode to another. Taking units out of depots, factories and your HQ is a similar process. You also have to press F1 to CONFIRM that you are ready to continue, and the only time you can save is by pressing the right key DURING that confirmation phase. Needless to say, you will have to read the manual before playing this game. It's a shame, really, because other than the controls and keyboard, the learning curve isn't too bad.

All in all, this is a fun tactical wargame, unique in that it is one of the only ones set in WWI. However, there's not much that makes this game stand out from other tactical war games, although it is historically accurate for the most part and challenging to play. Once you get used to the awkward controls, the game keeps you interested until you finally surrender or end the game on your side. However, the replay value is quite low, although playing with another person can lengthen it.

Overall, a good wargame for its time that doesn't stand the test of time too well. Interesting, but will probably only appeal to casual wargame players.

Bonus: by pressing the ESC key a couple of times, you can get a 'History Lesson' in which the game shows what was going on in the world - war-related and otherwise - during the two months covered by the battle you're currently fighting.

The Great War: 1914-1918 is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.