|
 "Don't
give up the ship!"
--Captain
James Lawrence, mortally wounded fighting the HMS Shannon on the
first of June, 1813.
In
today's world ships are behemoths of steel and electronics.
Combat takes place in an almost videogame like environment, with
engagements happening not hundreds of yards away but possibly
hundreds of miles away. Life and death is decided by a click of
the mouse, and in seconds a fleet can be sent to the bottom.
Travel
back in time to an era when battles for the supremacy of the sea
lanes was decided by brave men commanding massive fortresses of
floating wood and cloth. No radar lock- ons, just the Mark I
eyeball, and no guided missiles, just heavy orbs of iron. Battle
would be joined so close together that you could practically see
what your enemy had for lunch by spotting the stains on his
uniform. This was an era of steel nerves and sound tactics, of
sea knowledge and possessing a little bit of Poseidon's own
luck. Spruegames' Salvo! recreates this era.
Set in
the 17th through 19th centuries, also known as the Age of Sail,
Salvo! is an exciting single-player game of naval warfare for
Windows. Take command of the navies of England, France, the
fledgling United States, and others, as you wage war in a fully
realized three-dimensional environment. Relish in the sight and
sound of full-scale battle, as ships are pounded into
submission, rendered right there on your screen. Forget having
to worry about a bunch of boring stats, as thanks to Salvo's
visual feedback you'll always know what's going on with the
fleets, from tattered sails to shattered hulls (hopefully only
the enemy's!).
Combat
can involve a handful of ships all the way up to scores of
vessels participating in a single engagement. Thanks to the
innovative and highly intuitive 'action marker' system
controlling your ships is a snap. Order ships individually, or
by squadron, the choice is yours.
With
numerous campaigns there are plenty of scenarios that cover the
gamut of warfare during the period. Especially interesting is
the application of tactics between battles during the campaigns.
It won't be enough to simply win a battle, players will have to
win the campaign by carefully choosing when and where to fight,
based on how the previous combat resulted. Failure to keep the
big picture in mind may have drastic consequences, like
Napoleon's army marching through London!
With easy
to grasp mechanics, beautiful graphics, and an excellent
branching campaign structure, this is the fighting sail wargame
you've always wanted!
"Brave
men commanding massive fortresses of floating wood and
cloth." |
