Strategy Games

[AerBabe]

My dad has been retired for years and spends quite a lot of time on his PC. However, he rarely buys himself new games. Being the great daughter that I am, I thought I'd buy him one or two new ones for Christmas. However, I'm really out of touch with what's out there and what's worth spending my hard-earned cash on.

He prefers strategy games where a lot of thought and pre-planning is involved, but he doesn't like having to have fast reflexes. I know he has Civilisation and Stars, but he's also got a copy of Tomb Raider! He's not fussed about having the latest game, so I would rather go for two older games which might be a bit cheaper. Is there anything in the Sold Out range which people recommend? I have thought about Lemmings or Worms, but I think it would be too samey for him... the games are too quick, so he can't get his teeth into them.

[BRL]

Hi there. There is a good one out now called 'ALEXANDER'. I think it is based on a film due out but this one looks incredible. http://www.alexander-thegame.com Check out the screen shots.

Also look back at some old ones. Boulderdash is easy to kill an hour or two, just google it and you can download it free.

Another oldie but goody is the old Cannon Fodder games, 1 & 2. I have them here if you want me to send them up to you just let us know.

Good games with a bit of action in them would be the cracking Half-life and now you can get Half life 2 but you need a good spec PC to run the new one.

Another new one is 'ROME' You can also play this on line too I think. It recently got a 97% in a gamer mag and that is pretty good. Rome 'Total War' This looks like the favourite at the moment.

Does he know anything about football? Maybe he could have a go at something like a football manager sim, they are quite popular thesedays too.

Just racking my memory and thought of a good one from a few years ago called 'TOTAL ANNIHILATION'. It can take years to complete, the maps are massive with huge battles taking hours to finish, it must be one of the most underated games ever.

Also have a look out for a game called 'ELITE'. an old classic that is/was voted the best PC game ever. That should keep him happy for a few months at least.

If I can think of any more I will post back but do consider the games mentioned above. Try Amazon of ebay for the older ones, worth it in the long run. :)

[TimS]

AerBabe,

Check which version of Civilisation he has - if he is on Civ2 then just buy Civ3.

Its the only computer game I play and 2 was good but 3 is superb.

There are also at least a couple of add-ons to Civ3 (more players, modes, resources etc) which might be worth considering.

Brgds

TimS

[four_two]

One man's Strategy game is another man's Adventure game (if you don't agree then ignore this post) :p
Has he tried any of the Myst series? Working out puzzles with no need to worry about someone seeing you off if are too slow. You can't be killed and you can also keep that brain ticking over with those problems. And the earlier ones are cheap!

[goates]

Rome: Total War has gotten rave reviews. It's kind of a cross between the Civilisation series and Command & Conquer. You can stick to the strategic side and just deal with everything from a world wide view, or take charge in specific battles.

The new Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth also got good reviews.

Has he ever played the Axis & Allies board games? If he did, this (http://www.atari.com/axisandallies/uk/flash/index.php) might interest him. Haven't heard too much about it though.

Myst is a great game for puzzle solving, but can be very frustrating if you aren't patient or tend to miss details. And you can die, if you choose the wrong path. ;)

goates

[four_two]

Myst is a great game for puzzle solving, but can be very frustrating if you aren't patient or tend to miss details. And you can die, if you choose the wrong path
Are you sure about that? I'm usually the first to get killed in a game but I survived the first 3 games. I mentioned that series because quick reflexes are not required and it is thought provoking, which is what
AerBabe was looking for.

edit: I can't work out why those quote thingies didn't work.:{

[goates]

four_two,

The Myst sequel, Riven, had more than one ending. Depending on what you did, you could either get sucked off to nowhere, or some guy would shoot you with a dart. I found both... :}

True this isn't quite the same as getting shot in Doom or Quake, but you aren't guaranteed to pass the game either. All you needed to do was load up your last save point and remember not to click on the wrong linking book or not to open the portal to nothingness.

goates

[four_two]

goates

I remember that now in Riven. A wise gamer always saves at critical moments.
I still think it meets AeroBabe's requirements though.

[AerBabe]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have a feeling that Dad tried the first version of Myst and enjoyed it. Will have to have a quite chat with MotherBabeSenior at some point and see what she thinks. Plenty of ideas though - great. :ok:

[goates]

four_two,

Sorry, I wasn't trying to say it wasn't suitable. Only that it isn't quite as innocent as the first version.

Aerbabe,

I just recently bought Myst 4 and it looks amazing compared to previous versions so far. The last time I saw a price for it, it had dropped a bit. If your dad's computer meets the requirements and he likes these types of games, it might be a good choice. The requirements aren't as bad as many new games, but are higher than the older Myst games.

goates

[BahrainLad]

Played 'Total Annihilation' throughout my GCSEs and it's fab.....like a souped up version of Command and Conquer where you can build armies and set them against each other.

Should run like a dream on a decent Pentium 3