Gary Grigsby's War in the East

If you like analyzing spreadsheets and spending hours planning your next move, this is the definitive wargaming experience on PC. If you want something more casual and streamlined, play Hearts of Iron instead.

So, let me preface this by saying that this is my very first game review. War In The East, or WITE, as I call it is a delight for us wargamers. I will try to involve as little bias as possible, so bear with me here on this adventure. Cons: 1) This game is EXPENSIVE. I purchased the steam version for $23 a while back, and had to wait a while to get it that that price. I hope that purchase eventually finds itself into my GOG account too. 2) The game is COMPLEX. I was halfway into my first game before opening the manual. That is a huge mistake that you can do yourself a favor by avoiding. Read the manual. 3) You must register with Slitherine to play multiplayer. I don’t normally like doing this, but what can be done? I’m unsure as to whether it is required for solo play. Pros: 1) Graphics are good. Simple? Yes, for sure. They get the job though. It has sprite-based icons to represent units and a massive map which is beautiful to behold. 2) The GUI is easy to use, effective, simple, yet powerful. Read the manual. 3) Multi-player is great. 4) Single player is great. 5) Audio is adequate. I tend to play the game while multi-tasking, so this is often not turned up. I imagine that is the case for most of the gamers. 6) This game is AMAZINGLY detailed. Bottom Line: This is a niche game. The creators quite obviously loved this game, and they made it for you. Save up the money if you have to and give it a go. You won’t be sorry. If you’re a casual gamer, you might want to consider looking elsewhere. This is a game that can absorb you, and you have to prepare for it if you want to get the most out of it. Advice: Find someone who plays, talk to them. Join the community. Play with your friends, you won't regret this purchase.

I had the original games back in the early 90's. The games were excellent back than full of troop detail. They are not casual games, but the history buff will love it. It looks like these games are nicely updated. I plan to get them myself.

I enjoy the option and implementation of "Rail mode" in the early stages of the complete campaign is an excellent way to plan the approach the battle of Leningrad and The Baltic Sea. You can literally change the outcome of your approach to Moscow for Army Group Center. With rail mode, you can literally move units all the way to Berlin, resupply and travel back to the Front. My greatest difficulty was finding how to turn the sound down. I don't prefer the battle sounds and the default setting on the background music seemed a little loud because the program starts with the music and battle sounds set rather high. Overall, I highly recommend using "Impossible" mode for your first time with Leningrad. It's a quick way to learn strategy