I bought a new strategy wargame for myself this week, thus no blog yesterday, I was too busy fighting off the Nazi advance. Strategic Command : European Theatre, I played a campaign game at the lowest level and very nearly lost WW2. Playing the Allies, at the start of the war I seemed to be doing alright, ok so Poland collapsed without a struggle, the Low Countries also, but I was holding on in France. Across in Russia, a scorched earth policy was introduced to try and stretch the German supply lines. Eventually France falls, Canada joins in, I've read the tactics book and playing the historical game I'm supposed to marshall my forces and survive until the Yanks enter the game, reading further, I'm supposed to protect my navy until later on as well. Arse, I've already lost the entire North Sea/Atlantic fleet to a disastrous encounter with a u-boat pack off Scapa Flow, and my Med fleet was similarly surprised by Italian warships, so now my navy consists of HMS Hood, things don't look good. Come the Battle of Britain I'm getting my arse kicked, I've had to retreat all my forces to Northern Scotland so that German jet bombers! (bloody computer, it's cheating) can't destroy them. Over on the Russian Steppe though, the advancing German armies have come to a standstill, and the Reds are even making a few gains. The Yanks arrive hoorah, except that I lead them into a nightmarish North Africa campaign, I watch as unit after unit are slaughtered in the fight for Tobruk, and then, learning nothing from watching Gallipoli, I land the Americans in Sicily and Southern Italy, it's like I want them all to die. 1945, I'm running out of time, the Russians are advancing into Germany and the Low Countries, Yugoslavia, Poland, Bulgaria all fall, and they all turn Red, Russia keeps the lot. Not only have I lost the race for Berlin, it looks like I'm going to lose the race for Paris as well. In a panic, I invade Denmark. Why stop now ? the Russian reasoning goes, they cross the water and assault Sweden, oh dear, neutral Switzerland ? No, it's all Red now. Throwing caution to the winds, I move the units protecting London and invade Brest and Normandy. Unstoppable, the Reds march through Vichy France and look set to take Spain when the AI decides to stop the game. Oh dear, on the easiest setting it has taken until 1948 to free Europe, and when I say free, I mean under the boot of Stalin, oh well.