What's Good	What's Bad	4.5 out of 5.0
Very strong AI Graphics and Sounds Scenario selection and construction User interface including brigade level control and commander influences	The manual! No total game where you command the entire army Brigade loses do not carry over into the future scenarios

Let's start with an overview of the game. This is a real time strategy game that begins on the morning of July 1st, 1863. This is the opening of what would be three days of combat between the U.S. (United States) and C.S. (Confederate States) armies. You can select to play individual portions of the battle (single scenarios) or you can play the entire battle as a series of linked scenarios. Additionally, you can select to play either side and can select difficulty levels and even modify the style of your opponent if you wish (cautious, aggressive, direct, flexible, etc.). Furthermore the game can be played historically (scenarios begin with the same troops in the same locations with the same objectives as the actual battle), random (changing troops and starting positions) or with a mixture of the two. The variety is interesting and keeps the game "fresh" for many visits to come, insuring replayability.

The scenarios include some "what if" variations including the option to have Stonewall Jackson on the field for the C.S. army. I found the historical scenarios to be faithful to the flow and conduct of the original battle and the variations to be well considered and genuinely intriguing for a student of this battle. I particularly enjoyed playing out the scenario where the C.S. army has captured Cemetery Hill and the U.S. army attempts to retake it with what amounts to a U.S. "Picketts" charge from the opposite side of the ridge.

The complete game using linked scenarios is well done but left me a little flat. I was quite pleased to find that if you failed in taking your objective the next scenario altered your position and objectives accordingly. I was equally unhappy to find that smashing a brigade had no appreciable effect on that same brigade in the next scenario. A minor irritant to be sure but one worth noting. It also allows some unrealistic flanking tactics since you have the entire map but only a portion of the troops. This was somewhat addressed with the presence of troops you can not command but they will fire on enemy troops that come near. This problem is unavoidable if you don't provide the players with the entire armies to command at once. I was happy they made the effort they did to overcome this.

The artificial intelligence (AI) of the computer player is very strong. Combined with the real time flow of the game it becomes very challenging to win. If you expose a flank, the computer player will take advantage of it. If you sweep around a flank the computer line will pull back and shift troops to cover the exposure. The computer use of artillery is particularly effective. With the ability to alter the style of your opponent the AI gains an additional dimension. You can beat the computer players on the most difficult levels, but you have to be on your toes to do it. If there is a stronger AI for a strategy game I have not seen it. I am sure there is a way to make it stronger, but until someone makes does, Gettysburg! reigns supreme in the AI area.

The user interface is extremely well done with just one reservation. First, the control system allowing the player to issue brigade level orders is great. This is the single most important factor that contributes to this games best feature. It plays out like battles really did in the 1860's. If you control and manage your brigades properly you do well. As combat takes a toll on your troops you can easily loose control of your brigades and the fight can devolve into a regiment by regiment struggle. Using your commanders to prevent this is central to winning - as history has proven. Commanding and controlling brigades and regiments is easy once you learn the system and is very effective. The only option that was not obvious was targeting artillery to fire at specific units. This requires a keyboard command with no mouse equivalent. Once you learn this it is no problem, but it would be useful to tie this essential feature to the mouse as are the other commands.

The graphics and sound effects are simply fabulous. The artwork is astounding and the map detail is impressive. Casualties appear as bodies on the ground (it is, after all a battle), but there is an obvious attempt to keep this suitable for all ages. Some map features (like the famous railroad cut) are missing, but overall the historical accuracy is very high.

There are some detractions and chief among these is the missing user manual. It is not really missing, it is just hard to find. It is included on the CD as Adobe Acrobat Reader (pdf) files. This means you have to install the Adobe reader to see the manual. Once you start playing the game there is no easy way to get back to the manual. You can print it (155 pages) of course, but it would have been MUCH better if the manual was included or if you could get to it online from the game's main menu. Once you can dig down to it, the manual and related printed material is well written and informative. It's only flaw is accessibility.

Gettysburg! is an excellent game in every respect and highly recommended. Great graphics and a very strong AI make this quite enjoyable every time you play.