Stratego

First of all, this game was made in 1998, so the graphics are pretty chunky and clunky. Secondly, and this is a huge problem, they made it so you are unable to tell any of your pieces apart! Remember all those pieces you have on the board? Now you have to remember the ranks of all of your pieces as well as the enemy. This problem could have easily been solved by displaying the ranking as you mouse over your individual pieces, but nope! Makes too much sense.

Third, weren't the highest ranking members #1, #2, and so on respectively? I'm certain the miner was #8 in rank. Well, in this version the numbers are backwards (!) Now your miner is a #2 and your top ranked marshal is a #10. So now not only do you have to remember the numerical rank of all your pieces, you also have to remember them backwards.

Are you starting to get the feeling none of the developers have ever played this game before?

This feeling will be confirmed once you play against the computer. The A.I. is so incredibly bad that it will put its top ranking pieces on the front line, charge your line, but won't attack anyone unless they move. My first game against the computer my scout spotted the top ranked #1 (err... #10) piece on the front line. It then came straight at me and sat there until I sent my spy over to kill him. Well, that was easy. And when you charge the computer it gets even better. Just send one of your top ranked pieces over. One by one it sends lower ranked pieces at you and it's not until it gets right next to your top ranked guy that it "remembers" how tough your guy is. As soon as the computer moves away from you, chase it down and kill it. Tough game, eh?

Unlike the other reviewers, I was able to get it to work on Windows XP, but even at a bargain bin price this game is a joke. One was all it took for me to hit the uninstall button. So take it from me, your Amazon spy, drop the bomb on this game and send it to the trash can it came from. What a waste.


Strategic, Customizable, and Slow   January 7, 2001
William Jacobs (Wellington, Florida USA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

This is easy to play if you've played the board game, but the animations are time-consuming. I do NOT recommend this for hotseat play (multiple players on the same computer), since this is inevitably difficult to play in a "stealth" game. I'll describe the game; if you've played, skip to ////////. This game is strategic. The goal is simply to capture the flag. You start by placing your pieces, which include a spy, a flag, 6 bombs, and several ranked pieces. That's the part where different strategies come in. You can make a decoy for the location of the flag, or surround it by mines, or put your high-ranking pieces in the front. It's up to you. The bombs can only be diffused by miners, and scouts can move great distances at a time. //////// The computer game has battle sequences, all well animated and visually appealing, but they can be time-conuming. There are 5 boards to choose from (wood, grass, board, etc.). Various setups can be saved to memory, so you don't have to redo it every time. The internet play is frustrating to set up if you don't know what you're doing. For Ultimate Stratego lovers, all versions of Stratego are included, including the 4-player game. Ultimately, I recommend this for people who like the board game or other strategy games.


Great recreation of a classic strategy game!   August 18, 2000
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I purchased this game in December of 1999. I am very pleased with this game. It has animated battles that are very entertaining. Also, the on-line playing option is exceptional--with a lot of challenging opponents from all over the globe!

If you are looking for a great strategy game and a lot of tough competition, this is a winner! If you buy it, look me up on the zone!

matt_da_brat