Honourable Mention 4: North & South

Honourable Mention 4
North & South

None other than Amiga Power editor Matt Bielby stated in his re-release review in issue 2 that North & South was "a game I was actually quite keen to see included in our All-Time Top 100 Games supplement (but failed to mention at the time for fear that everyone would laugh at me)." I had considered including it as an Honourable Mention anyway, but seeing this comment made it clear in my mind that it fully deserved inclusion, and so here it is.

Based on the Belgian comic series Les Tuniques Bleues, North & South sees you commanding an army in the American Civil War, representing either the Union or the Confederacy. It is a strategy game, where you move your armies to occupy different states, trying to keep control of the railroad supply lines and maintain advantage over the other side. Inevitably two opposing armies will meet, whereupon the game switches to a more arcade-like battle as you switch between cannons, infantry and cavalry in a bid to defend your territory. You can also attempt to take over occupied towns, which is a race against time to raise the flag of your side. Being based on a comic, the game has many light-hearted touches and is a joy to watch, and makes for a short but entertaining game either between human players or against the computer.

I have fond memories of seeing this on the Amiga and wishing I could have an Amiga myself, just because it looks so fun. It's a strategy but you need skill and a bit of luck to win battles, but it's all over so quickly that you can just try again. I wanted to include this in the list even without the tacit approval from inside the magazine, because it looks and sounds best on the Amiga, and is a great advert for the system.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
North & South (1989)(Infogrames)(M5)[cr QTX]