Publisher: SSI
Developer: SSI
Panzer General III site: www.panzergeneral3.com
Panzer General III: Scorched Earth follows Panzer General 3D into the market, but it's hard to tell the difference between them. They're both the latest in a line of strong turn-based strategy games designed to be friendly enough for novices, and challenging enough for veteran war game lovers. They both use a 3D engine and resemble tabletop battlefields. Both are firmly entrenched in the setting of WWII. Does Panzer General III Scorched Earth successfully improve on its older brother of a year?
It makes fiscal sense to push sequels, but not necessarily identical twins. Panzer General III Scorched Earth attempts to be a better Panzer General 3D by adding a strategic map and a campaign map. These are the most noticeable changes. The Panzer General 3D engine apparently cannot display text, so cities, roads, and airfields on the main game screen are unlabeled. This is a disappointing omission from an engine whose primary function is emulating a map. The user receives orders to claim a particular city, but doesn't know the location on the battlefield or which town is the victory goal. The strategic screen provides a bird's eye view complete with objectives and current troop positions highlighted that helps, but is obviously a workaround for a fundamental flaw.
The campaign screen makes better use of a map interface. This is the screen where users playing a campaign can designate where their next battle will be, given a choice of different possible location branches. Since Panzer General III Scorched Earth selects the Eastern Front as its stage of operation, the campaign map centers on the land between Germany and Russia. Four campaigns, two each for the German and Russian sides, highlight the work of historical commanders in the theater. This is a nice, if shallow gesture that makes the player feel they're a part of the strategic planning.