If you're a desktop general, you won't find a better version of this classic. Darkest Hour is essentially an updated mod to Hearts of Iron II, with expanded tech trees, a longer scenario option, and tweaked economies and ai for a more challenging game. The 1914 scenario is a nice bonus with its own challenges, however you cannot play a long-haul game of say, 1914 through 1963 direct. Another nice bonus is that for fans of the original Hearts of Iron II, there is the "Darkest Hour Light" setting, which is the original Hearts of Iron II, but updated with fixes (like the speed issue.) The DH Light mod also includes the HOI 2 "Doomsday" and "Armageddon" standalone scenarios. There is also a wonderful modding community, with plenty of mods that are easily implemented into the game. The only drawback to the game is a steep learning curve. The manual is huge, but is definitely required reading for the new player. As a new player to HOI 2 when it was first released, it took me a couple of games that I lost before getting used to the massive economic structure that has to be carefully balanced in order to be successful. But once you get it down, the replayability of this gem is huge.
