This game had all the chances to be the ultimate Napoleonic wargame. A turn-based game, with all the details AGEOD games may handle: different type of troops, nationalities, weather, logistics, historical leaders with their own habilities (and flaws)... even the graphics suit very well to the period, a preciosism that catches the spirit of the beginning of the XIX century.

Whst's the problem, then? The game needs a grand campaing. And it's not offering it. You have more than a dozen of scenarios to choose, but... once you've started you`d like to have that scope. A bit disappointing, such a good game, with all that potential that loses the chance. Anyway, you'll have the quality of Ageod games, and a bunch of scenarios which allow you to take the command of France or the Coalition.

This game features a variety of campaign's based on the Napoleonic Wars from around 1805 through Waterloo. Unusually for a grand strategy game there is no grand campaign, instead the game is made up of shorter scenario's that cover an individual campaign or two. Also, it's got the Spanish campaign which is very long, but only on on part of the map. The game features armies that can be broken down into regiments, divisions, and Corps. Naval combat is a major feature in this game compared to a lot of other AGEOD games in two scenario's that revolve around Trafalgar. Whether this game will be what you want it to be is hard to say. Non AGEOD gamers may not find it fun while AGEOD gamers may not enjoy the shorter nature of the game and lack of campaign's. Still if you enjoy AGEOD games it's worth a look.

One of the better Ageod games... though still Ageod abstracted playing style.

If you are a table-top general and enjoy the Napoleonic Era, you may enjoy this game.

The people from Ageod always mention in their game descriptions that their games are 'easy to play and hard to master'. I would actually say they are hard to play and to master, since the interface and game dynamics are nothing alike other strategy games. The worse is gettin used to the 'command chain' system. BUUUUT... if you give the game a chance, it will win your heart. Everything is extremelly well thought out and accurate and history-faithfull. This is a 'grand strategy' game, do not think you will find here any big resource management, or lenthly campaigns and army building and such things. The idea of the game is to put in your hands historical armies in historically accurate reagions, depicting most of all (and this is the unique thing about Ageod's games) a real infraestructure net, which brings you realistic concerns on terms of supply, displacement of your army and the conceivement of an intelligent battle plan. Instead of just advancing and engaging and destroying things, the game gives you real concerns that ruined a good night's sleep of people like a Grant, a Napoleon or a King Frederick.

It is a very adult game, to put it in one word.

If you have played any AGEOD title you know what to expect from Napoleon's Campaigns. If you don't, you may be surprised or confused with the wego turn mechanics, which requires a lot of foresight and planification, but thanks to the great interface and tutorials you won't need much time to get used to it. This title has a slightly improved mechanics compared to the previous AGEOD title (Birth of America), but the differences are mainly in the setting, not in the rules or gameplay. The interface is awesome, effective and elegant, as usual in the series. My main gripe with the game lays in the mechanics itselves. Though the wego system is sound and effective to create the feeling of planning and campaigning in the era, it limits a lot the kind of orders or plans that you can develop. You only can order one stance for each unit in each turn, you can't order an army to evade this enemy and then engage this other, or to pass by a fortress but then assault this other in the same turn. It's all or nothing. I'd wish that a popup would let you decide what to do in each encounter as the turn develops itself. But that couldn't work with PBEM multiplayer that is so succesful in this series. Overall, an enjoyable wargame with an effective AI that will make players give the best of themselves to master it.