Instead of capturing a flag as in the classic version,В Stratego: Waterloo 200 Years challenges you to get two of your units on the opponentвЂ™s lines of retreat. While this seems unfair, once the game reaches round twelve, Prussian reinforcements arrive to assist the Allied army, adding an additional 13 pieces to the pool! Their opponent plays as the Allied army, but with only 45 pieces.

One person takes on the role of the French army and has 47 pieces at their disposal. The original Stratego was limited to a square board, which didnвЂ™t represent any region or place.В Stratego: Waterloo 200 Years utilizes an oversized custom board with modular terrain tiles. Not only are we enjoying family time playing a game, we are learning facts about the past. The entire line of skirmish games by Academy Games, including their Birth of America series, are regular visitors to our game table. You can imagine my excitement to learn that PlayMonster (formerly Patch) has begun offering not only the original Stratego, but a number of new versions with new mechanics and rules! And one of them supports up to four players! Must haveвЂ¦ Stratego: Waterloo 200 YearsД«y now you know that we love games that are set in actual historical situations. With two game-playing daughters, this means someone gets left out. The original Stratego is designed for only two players. I managed to procure a replacement some time ago at Goodwill, but havenвЂ™t had the opportunity to present it to my daughters. My original copy of Stratego is long-gone, probably sold for pennies on the dollar at one of my parentsвЂ™ many yard sales. I canвЂ™t pinpoint exactly why it spoke to me, I just know that it was always my first choice when my brother and I wanted to play something (before the advent of video games, of course). But secretly I loved Stratego more than all of those combined.

As a family we played a lot of games, from Monopoly and Sorry to Boggle and Mastermind.

Even without these trimmings, the computerized Stratego is an outstanding electronic board game.When asked what board game I remember enjoying the most when growing up, the answer comes easy вЂ“ Stratego. Perhaps Accolade will offer a deluxe edition someday. It lacks the multiple perspectives, animations and other frills of the top chess titles. The individual tiles are well-drawn, and they are no harder to distinguish than their counterparts in the board game. The board is shown from a top-down perspective in a large window on the left, and an array of captured units apears in a smaller box to the right. The user can select from three boards and two piece styles. The graphics are simple, effective and appropriate to the game. This further increases the variety of readymade openings. A stored setup can be laid on the board with the flag to the left or right at the touch of an on-screen button. Stratego comes with a wide range of quick setup options, though advanced players can rapidly assemble the troops in any desired pattern with the drag-and-move system. The 'Silent Defense' rule, which reveals the rank of only the striking piece, uses the data-tracking power of the computer to produce a valid variation that would be difficult, if not impossible, in the nonelectronic version. Options like 'aggressive advantage,' which awards victory to the striking piece in case of a tie in rank, open new vistas while remaining faithful to the true essence of the game. The gamer can play with the standard rules of the classic board game or choose the campaign game, which follows tournament rules. If repeatedly besting the sergeant inflates the gamer's ego too much, a round at a higher level often restores humility. Five skill levels, ranked in expertise from sergeant up to field marshal, let the game's challenge keep pace with the player's improvement. Now Stratego is available to the solo gamer in this sensitive and satisfying electronic edition. This clash of armies hinges on hidden movement, which can't be implemented without another intelligence to administer the other side. Like that much simpler recreation, Stratego stubbornly resists solitaire play. Milton Bradley's Stratego, the celebrated military-themed game of skill, has been on a collision course with home-computer entertainment since the TRS-80 allowed computer gamers to play tick-tack-toe without the need of a human opponent.

Stratego game