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Introduction

Developed by SSI, Panzer General III (PGIII) is a turn-based strategy game, set in World War II. The game focuses on the European theatre. In particular, the battles between Russia and Germany are covered in great detail, allowing you to faithfully re-enact critical points in the war.

In a Nutshell:

PGIII is about leading your troops to victory. Unlike other strategy games, there’s no resource management, technology development, structure building, or any other “outside” factors. Aside from choosing a few units at the start of every scenario, you don’t even get to control what your army consists of. You get your troops, place them on the map where you think they will do the most good, and start fighting. World War II Europe is your battlefield, and you have to command your forces to carry the day for either the Germans (Axis) or the Russians (Allies). There’s no time pressure—you can take as long as you need to thinking about what you’re going to do before you do it. And you’ll need to, because the computer AI is every bit as tenacious as the real commanders were.

PGIII’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Although it’s a strategy game, PGIII is all about tactics. Every scenario, you’re given a (largely fixed) assortment of troops, an objective, and it's up to you to accomplish your mission as best you can. The troops, tanks, bombers, and other units have abilities and stats that are true to history, and the scenarios reflect real strategic objectives during World War II. The game covers all of these aspects fully, accurately, and well.

But that’s all the game covers. Wider, strategic-level decision making (such as “what kind of tanks should I develop over the next few years”), is not part of the game. Espionage, spying, and covert missions are not in the game either. PGIII was designed as a game for dedicated wargamers. If you know what the term means, and think you’re a wargamer too, you’ll absolutely adore this game.

However, if you’re a “casual” gamer, you might not enjoy PGIII quite so much. Even more than most strategy games, PGIII requires you to think, and be patient. Missions are tough, and you have to think carefully before you act. The game isn’t the sort you just “plug n’ play”—there’s a lot to absorb, and if you don’t have the time or patience to invest a few hours learning the basics, you’ll want to give the game a pass.

One note: READ THE MANUAL THAT COMES WITH THE GAME. The game is complex, and there’s a lot of commands, options, and menus at your disposal. You can learn the game without reading the manual first, but you’ll pick up the nuances quicker if you browse through the book before you start. More importantly, if you’re new to the genre, the book contains information about the units, and suggests basic tactics for you to use—which is very helpful if you’re not familiar with the intricacies of World War II combat.