The Panzer general of the water world!
Released by SSI, world famous for the Panzer General series, Pacific General is a great strategy/wargame combo, built around the water bound units of the World War. Although the setting is different, and some of the specifics clearly are influenced by the water environments, Pacific General still plays rather like a terrestrial strategy in many ways; the game plays in turns, it plays on a hexagonal grid; you have to move your boats, water bound plane carriers the best way you find fit for your purposes and furthermore, you have to make sure that the attacks and the retreats are played at the right moments. It's chess on water, with an economic portion linked to it and with an experience based portion that is all about taking units and making them stronger, better fit for new confrontations. Graphically, it's a very well polished 2D game, with a high resolution and really well put menus, with an art direction that is inspired by the dashboards and the instrument boards of ships and plane carriers. So, overall, Pacific General is definitely a great contender for those that would love to experience the thrill of advanced strategy wargaming on the open sea, and mostly, for those that have already cut their teeth on the Panzer General series.