North and South

Review

by Zachary Knowlton

Those looking for a serious war game based on the American Civil War will be woefully disappointed with North and South. Though allowing you to command the Union or the Confederacy between the years 1861-1864, neither the number of troops nor territory held ever resembles the actual historical situation of either side. Additionally, the game sacrifices the reality of supply lines, troop morale, and military production for a more action-oriented approach to the war. Thus, the production of new units is solely based on how many regions you control and things like capturing forts are decided through a side-scrolling action sequence. Even the military engagements themselves require quicker reflexes than wits.

While North and South is not going to attract any Civil War fanatics, will it satisfy the average gamer who is simply looking for a good time and not necessarily a historical simulation? There are some entertaining aspects to the game. It's very easy to learn and games do not take very long, usually not much more than thirty minutes. Thus, North and South can be enjoyed with little practice and does not require you to budget hours at a time in order to play. The two different types of action, normal field battles and side-scrolling attacks on forts and trains, offer some variety. Additionally, being able to challenge an opponent in the two-player mode greatly enhances the game's replay value.

Unfortunately, North and South also has some faults that, in the end, make it quite difficult to enjoy. Graphics, on the whole, are awful. During battles, your troops are hardly bigger than specks; they more closely resemble ants than men as they march across the field. Side-scrolling stages, in addition to being quite crudely drawn, suffer from terribly jerky animation. Even the main strategic map through which armies are maneuvered is a rather poor representation of the eastern United States.

Your computer-controlled opponents generally put up a poor fight and can easily be defeated with a little practice, even on the hardest level. While this doesn't make the game unplayable, it is a little silly to be able to consistently thrash a computer-controlled Union in a few turns. Of course, you can also compete against human opponents. Matches, however, tend to be prolonged stalemates for players with any skill. Forts and trains are rarely captured and decisive victories hardly ever occur. Most problematic in this respect are battlefields with rivers or ravines running through them. Only two narrow bridges connect the two sides, and the first side to attempt to charge across them is consistently massacred.

Overall, North and South does have some nice features and at times is very fun to play. In the end though, its sub-par graphics and some questionable gameplay issues make this cartridge an unremarkable one.