PC Game Review: The Operational Art of War 3 – by Mike Dorn

Introduction
The original version of The Operational Art of War was released in 1998. Despite its age, it has remained one of the best options for wargamers seeking to play an operational level game. Without a doubt, there were a few warts that have persisted over the game’s versions that were never properly addressed. When the original publisher, Talonsoft, sold the franchise it got caught up in limbo; the game itself was balky under Windows XP and development of further patches ceased. Fast-forward to 2006: Matrix Games has purchased the most of the Talonsoft library of games including The Operational Art of War. The Operational Art of War 3 is the first of the older titles to benefit from programming work and re-release. The work that was done on the game would compare to taking a fine looking older car, which had been stored in a barn for years, to a mechanic for work under the hood to see if they could get it running more smoothly.

Installation
At about 250 MB download size; the size isn’t too intimidating for those with a fast connection. I had no trouble with downloading or installing the game. The Operational Art of War 3 retains low system requirements, which will allow it to be played on virtually any PC available (which probably includes the spare one collecting dust in the basement, spare bedroom, etc…).

Documentation
Veterans of any versions of The Operational Art of War likely won’t need to look at the documentation included with The Operational Art of War 3. The documentation has been converted into a PDF file which is based on the original manual, but has been cleaned up as far as inaccurate information and is now searchable.

About the Author
Mike Dorn has been playing strategy games since the late 60’s and board wargames since early 70’s. Since getting a computer in 1992, he has found an improved avenue to strategy and wargames. He is also a sports management fanatic and plays Championship Manager religiously. In spare time not spent on the PC (rare), you might find him watching sports or reading.