Will you be able to avoid conflict with Germany? What if you want to play as Germany, then how long will it take you to crush your European opponents? And what about those pesky communists in China? These questions and more are explored as players plunge into WWII and make their own history.

Making History is a turn-based strategy game that is set in WWII. Players can choose a scenario and a country, then set out to win by one of three methods: Alliance, Ideology and Nation. Alliance means the alliance with the most World Points wins, Ideology lets the political ideology determine the winner, and the Nation method means the strongest nation with the most points wins. Other options include turning the turn timer on or off, and setting the difficulty level. Players can choose to immediately play a scenario, or opt to play a short tutorial.

Once these options are settled, it’s off to the maps. Here, players can survey the world and leisurely plan their next move. And planning is definitely essential, as there is a lot to do each turn. Players can choose to produce arms, goods, or military units; conduct research; buy, sell, or trade on the world market; form alliances; and move military units. There are other choices, as well, like increasing production in different areas.

The maps are laid out like Risk, with wonderfully animated icons on the maps. Most of the items on the map have little animations, like flags waving, smoke, fire and small movements from the soldiers. Very pretty! It looks exactly like a computerized board game. Every object on the map and the menus has a tool-tip, which is useful in describing the item. Clicking on the map objects will also elicit a menu tree in the menu area on the right side of the screen. The primary menu offers players the main options of domestic options (research and population), economy, diplomacy (alliances), military and turn summary (a summary of reports about the player’s status, production, national events and combats).

Despite the campaign objectives in the scenarios, this game is more open-ended than not. It’s really up to the player which tasks to choose each turn, such as conducting research, increasing production, or making alliances.  And the military options are endless! This open-ended play allows for each scenario to be played and replayed, with different choices resulting in different outcomes, which definitely makes this a worthwhile game in terms of gameplay hours.  However, this multitude of choices also means that there isn’t always a clear objective to accomplish, which can leave players in the dark as to what to do next. I love micro-management, but I also like a specific goal with prescribed objectives, besides just the “most points wins” condition. Each scenario has a time limit of a certain number of turns, which dictates the speed of the scenario.

The game is set in the WWII era. There is a lot of supplementary information on each country and its part in the world conflict. The game is realistic in the sense that while players can have unique outcomes based on in-game decisions, the ultimate role of each country is defined to fit mostly into the real outcome.  Germany still wins most of the conflicts early on. However, the game isn’t realistic in terms of what the military units do, the supply lines, and the role of sea and air power (submarines are under-utilized).  Also, often countries can be sent to fight in locations they never fought in during the real war. But, a game doesn’t have to be absolutely realistic and probably shouldn’t be, either, or the interactivity is lost. This does mean that history teachers who plan on using this game in their classes need to be ready to explain the differences.

The interface features some really elegant menu trees. All the needed information is easily accessible and easy to understand. However, direction is sorely lacking.  The tutorial only shows what players can do with the menus, it doesn’t offer that crucial “What to do on the first turn”, which is essential to my mind. I wish every strategy game had a tutorial like Sid’s in Civ IV! I still haven’t figured out the best way to manage each turn, and fear I’m missing some important moves.

I enjoy history and am a little familiar with WWII events and timelines, although I’m by no means an expert. I actually found it a little disconcerting to play a game that featured real conflicts, and it was hard to enjoy certain scenarios, when I know the real tragedies like the fall of Nanking, Pearl Harbor, the march of Bataan, and the Holocaust. I just finished re-reading the definitive Pearl Harbor account, Day of Infamy, so that event was still fresh in my mind. However, I’m sure this isn’t the typical reaction, and one I wouldn’t have if I were used to playing war strategy over fantasy strategy.

This is a very well designed game, and one that offers the best of the turn-based genre and leaves out the worst. Players can take as much time as they wish during a turn. The menus are informative but not overly so, and are easily accessed by just a few clicks. There is also a handy option that reviews the plays made during a campaign, if players choose to save the turn history. This option is great! There are hours of gameplay involved, and while there are only a few scenarios, each scenario is different each time if players choose different countries and different tasks and philosophies.

Making History isn’t for casual gamers, but for those who enjoy taking a long time to think about their plays. Having a fondness for history and war games is also a factor, but isn’t necessary. This is a great game for any strategy enthusiast!

Gameplay: 8
The gameplay is deep and engrossing, and will eat up the hours. While it doesn’t have quite the “just one more turn” aspect that Civilization or Heroes of Might and Magic offer, it is still entertaining. The complexity keeps players involved, and the sheer amount of decisions possible will take up a lot of time.

Graphics: 8.5
The game is a beautiful rendition of a board game. The icons are well-drawn, the maps are bright and colorful, and the interface is attractive. The artwork designers have a lot to be proud of!

Sound: 8
The music and sound effects are nice, but understated.

Difficulty: Hard
This game isn’t for the faint-of-heart. While the gameplay itself isn’t overly difficult, the learning curve is steep.  It will take a few game sessions to get the hang of the strategy required. Money and resources are hard to grasp at first and will definitely take some time to learn.

Concept: 7
This is similar to many other war strategy games on the market, but the presentation is exceptional.

Multiplayer: 7

There is a multi-player option for friends to play together over multiple computers.  There isn’t a game lobby, though. I didn’t get a chance to review this option.

Overall: 8
Making History is all about war gaming strategy. WWII buffs will enjoy it, and strategy fans, too. The gameplay is deep and involving, and will keep players occupied for hours. Anyone who enjoys Risk type board games needs to buy this game. Muzzy Lane has done a wonderful job of designing a game that is entertaining and easy on the eyes.