Sid Meier's Civil War Collection for Windows

Pros: If you ever wanted to command Civil War troops this is your game.
Cons: Difficulties on WinNT, 2K. No Mac version. No customization.

I love military history and I love this game. The real-time element keeps attention focused though troop management takes a little practice. The graphics are not up to a 2004 standard but more attractive than many war games. This is a war game meant to simulate commanding troops in three battlefield areas: Gettysburg, Antietem and South Mountain. This is not a real time strategy game full of resource management and troop building. Instead troops come onto the field in a timing similar to the actual battle.

Gettysburg was the original Sid Meier's Civil War game. You may play out the 2 day battle in a series of scenarios. Also there is an option to play an entire day of the battle in sequence. There are no choices of troops, rather you need to manage the troops that come onto the battlefield when they get there.

Antietem (America's bloodiest day) is best played as a long battle. It takes several hours to play out the day.

The South Mountain campaign is played on rough mountainous terrain and lacks the depth of Gettysburg or Antietem.