Take that hill!
Not to be confused with the similarly titled and themed North & South, this is a turn-based slice of historical strategy gaming, which provides the same kind of entertainment as the Battleground series. As you might expect, this one is set during the American Civil War and provides some decent, if not classic, wargaming fun. As is usual with this kind of thing, you've got two campaigns to play through, one for each side, and you'll get to recreate some famous battles like Gettysburg as well as lesser known ones during the course of the game. You've also got single battles to try out if you don't have time for a full campaign, while the whole thing plays out in top-down view, with hexagonal maps to allow for easy movement. The game plays out in turn-based fashion, and you'll issue orders to your officers, and with the amount varying on the stats for your general. There's a range of the expected unit types, such as infantry, cavalry and artillery, all of which are pretty accurate in terms of historical reference, while you've got formations to try out and with things like morale also included to add further depth. However, this is where North vs. South falls down. It's not quite accessible or fun enough to appeal to the beer and pretzels strategy gamer, but it also lacks the overall depth and complexity that the hardcore fans desire. There's quite a lot to do and see here but none of it is implemented in a fashion which is original or particularly enthralling, and with the likes of Sid Meier's Civil War Collection out there, this one is easily missed.
