VIKINGS ======= An Exciting & Realistic STRATEGY WAR GAME featuring a Smooth Scrolling Graphic Display of 2 COM PLETELY SEPARATE BATTLE SCENES - The Battle of Stamford BrIdge 1066 and The Battle of the Menai Straits 1098. With the Option of 3 Skill Levels, VIKINGS is the IDEAL GAME for ALL War Game Enthusiasts from the Beginner to the Expert. Loading Instructions. There are two battles, and both battles are duplicated on each side of the tape. They load as seperate games. 1) If you own an 128K machine then first enter 48K mode. 2) Type LOAD"". 3) Then press ENTER on the keyboard followed by PLAY on the tape. 4) The game should take less than four minutes to load. In case of difficulties please refer to the computer manual. PLAYING THE GAME. Controls. You can use a Kempston or Sinclair joystick, or the keyboard. The keyboard simulates the joystick controls in the following manner. Q: up A: down O: left P: right SPACE: fire The program will automatically sense the type of joystick connected on your computer. The Game. When the game loads the player must choose the skill level. 1) Pitched battle. 2) The battle. 3) The easy way. The screen is divided into three areas. The large scrolling window shows the battlefield with the Saxon units as red/yellow counters and the Viking units as black/white counters. The right top window contains the options that the player has at his disposal during the game. The right bottom window contains a particular unit's characteristics, strength and state as described below: TYPE: the troop type, missile weapons if carried STATE: O.K. or under retreat COVER: cover offered by the underlying landmarks M.P.: movement points left C.C.: close combat strength per man (swords, axes, spears etc.) L.R.: long range strength per man (short/long bows, slings etc.) RNG: Range of long range weapon carried MOR: the unit's morale EXP: the unit's fighting experience SKM: whether in close or open order REG: regulars or irregulars MEN: number of men in the unit A game turn is divided into six stages. 1) Player's movement/shooting phase. 2) Player's routing units retreat. 3) Player's attack phase. 4) The Vikings' movement/shooting/re treat phase. 5) The Vikings' attack phase. 6) Reinforcements phase, (both sides receive reinforcements). When a new turn begins the player will enter his movement/shooting phase. An option can be chosen by moving the bright bar over that option and pressing fire to select it. The selected option will now flash until deselected by pressing fire. The MOVE option allows the player to move his troops on the battlefield. Use joystick or keyboard to move the troops in the four compass directions. When you are satisfied press fire to exit. When two enemy units finish their movement adjacent and vertically or horizontally to each other a melee will follow during the close combat phase. As enemy units exercise a zone of control, a unit will not be allowed to advance if adjacent to another enemy unit for that turn. The FIRE option allows the player to shoot his projectiles at other units. When this option is selected a small cursor will appear on top of your unit. Move this cursor over the target and press fire to shoot javelins, bows slings etc. You will automatically exit this option after firing. A unit must spend half of its whole movement allowance to shoot. If the unit is not carrying projectiles or has less than half its movement allowance left it will be refused this option. To exit this mode without firing any missiles move the cursor away from any unit and press fire. The SCAN option allows the player to look at the current state of the English and Viking units. When this option is selected a large cursor will appear in the centre of the screen. Move the cursor over the desired unit/s and all its particulars will appear in the right bottom window. Press fire to exit this option. The NEXT option will skip the current unit so that you can take control of the next unit. This option will take you through all the English units in turn until the last one, before it starts all over again. If one of your units has spent all its movement allowance for that particular turn it will be automatically skipped by the computer. The STAND option will give orders to that unit to stay and defend its position unless routed by the Viking forces. If a unit has been ordered to stand during a particular turn it will be skipped by the computer when the NEXT option is selected even if it has not spent all its movement allowance. The END option will allow the Vikings to take their turn. The QUIT option will allow you to either continue with the current game, save it, load a previously saved game or start a new game. 1) Press C to continue with the current game. 2) If you want to save the game in progress place an empty cassette in the recorder, press PLAY/RECORD and then press S to save. The game will now be saved on tape. You can only save a game at the beginning of a new turn, and only then. 3) If you want to load a presaved game place the cassette in the recorder and press L followed by PLAY on tape. You can only load a presaved game at the beginning of a new turn. Never try to load a presaved game on a different map as this is never going to work. If you do so the program will refuse to continue unless the correct saved game is then loaded. 4) Press N to start a new game. VICTORY CONDITIONS. For a side to win the battle it must have three times the number of units of that of the enemy at any time during the game. Victory points are awarded for enemy units destroyed or routed, plus the number of casualties inflicted on the enemy side. GAME MECHANICS. Close Combat. When enemy units are adjacent and not diagonally to each other close combat will take place. If a unit is surrounded by two or more adjacent enemy units it will automatically become disorganised and it will be unable to fight at full strength during that melee. Projectiles cannot be used during any melee. Close order troops will do very well in mefee when attacking skirmish units. In a perfect world skirmishers; whether on horseback or not, should stay at a distance and throw their projectiles while avoiding contact with their enemies. The number of troops, their armour, weapons carried, experience, disorganisation when surrounded and whether they are regular or not are very important factors which are taken into account during any melee. Long Range Combat. This takes place when troops armed with javelins, bows or slings shoot their projectiles at an enemy unit. Casualties inflicted depend on the number of the warriors firing, the weapon type used, the type of armour worn by the defenders, whether the defenders are in close or open order (skirmishers) and on the cover they receive from the underlying landmarks. Open order are more difficult targets than close order troops since they are moving faster and they are not in dense formations. Different types of projectile weapons have varied strengths and ranges. Evasive Actions. If a close order unit decides to evade during close combat while being inside the zone of control of an enemy unit it will be allowed to do so, but a number of casualties will be inflicted upon it during this evasive action. Skirmishers will not be penalised when evading unless they end up in a new enemy zone of control. TROOP TYPES Troops are divided into two major classes, Regular and Irregular. Regular. Regular troops are permanent fighting units. These troops are able to execute complicated manoeuvres and are usually embodied, trained, well armed and uniformed. Irregular. Irregular troops are combined into units which would usually consist of neighbours, friends and relatives, these would be commanded by some local chieftain. They would be trained to handle weapons but they would be unable to perform complicated manoeuvres unless in small groups. They would not fight as well as regulars and would be quite unpredictable (this is reflected in the game during combat and morale tests). Regular and irregular troops have two further characteristics, morale and experience. Morale. The higher the morale of a unit, the less likely it is to rout after receiving casualties. As casualties increase the more likely it is that the unit will rout. Units that exit the map under rout will never return. Knights for example will keep their ground firmly where a peasant unit could easily retreat when under pressure. A routing unit might recover during the course of the game. Troops are divided in the following categories. A. Fanatics and personal Guard units of the highest morale (9-10/10). B. Very reliable troops of good morale (7-8/10). C. Your average professional soldier (5-6/10). D. Unenthusiastic, not reliable troops (3-4/10). E. Unethusiastic, utterly unreliable troops (1-2/10). Morale is a very important factor when fighting a medieval battle and should be taken seriously into account. Routing troops will not obey orders and their priority will be to get away from a danger zone. They will not shoot projectiles while routing and they are treated as disorganised units. Disorganisation. Usually all units are organised. This means that they will obey orders, move, fire their missiles and fight without any problem. If however a unit is involved in a melee where the enemy has deployed more units they could become disorganised due to a flank or rear attack, or because the unit would have to face at different directions at the same time to protect itself. When disorganised, a unit will fight less effectively than if it was organised. The more enemy units attack a particular unit during a melee the more they will disorganise it and the more likely it is that this unit will be unable to produce any casualties on its attackers. If a unit is under pressure it might rout whether organised or not. Routing units become disorganised and subsequently have reduced defend and attack strenghts. A unit will automatically organise itself when out of danger after a melee or after it recovers from rout. Experience. This reflects the training and fighting experience of troops. 1. Veterans are well trained troops that have taken part in many battles and show very high fighting skills (8-10/10). 2. Seasoned troops represent the average trained soldier who posseses at least the basic fighting skills (4-7/10). 3. Raw troops are lacking the basic training, are reluctant to close and generally of low competence (1-3/10). Peasants or irregular troops were usually of low fighting experience and unless they were deployed in great numbers would never match professional soldiers or knights in battle. Armour. Different amount of armour was worn by different types of troops and these are divided as follows: 1. Extra heavy. Men in whole mail or partial metal plate armour offering leg and arm protection. 2. Heavy. Men in horn armour or in less complete metal armour. 3. Medium/Heavy. Men in leather jerkins or mail shirts. 4. Medium. Men in cotton armour or no armour at all. All the above fought in close formation unlike light troops who fought as skirmishers. 5. Light. Men in open order with no armour. All the above types during this period could ride a horse which would be usually unarmoured and less often lightly protected. Skirmishers were faster than close order troops thus making it easy for them to evade charges. They would normally stay at a distance and throw missiles mainly at close order formations. They were not adequately equiped for close combat but they were difficult targets for other missile armed troops. Warriors in close order would be used as shock troops especially when on horse. Lance or long spear was the favourite weapon of the cavalry. Warriors on foot carried a spear but heavy two handed weapons were also popular during this period as they could easily slice through even the best armour. Almost everybody carried a sword and shield and javelins were also carried. Shortbows and slings were the most widely used long range weapons. Slings had a shorter range but they delivered more damage than shortbows. Shortbows had a fast rate of fire and were of average range. The longbows first used by the Welsh proved to be the most deadly long range medieval weapon as its arrows could even pierce metal plate armour. VIKINGS. Background. During the late 8th Century through to the 11th Century the Vikings made their presence felt upon the people of the British Isles. Probably finding their homelands of Norway, Sweden and Denmark overpopulated they were motivated to search for new lands. They not only conquered more than half of England, but also large areas of France, Scotland and Ireland. They also set up colonies in Greenland, Iceland and the Faroes. Their influence first began to wane after the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. The army. The Viking armies and naval forces were organised under a levy system (Leidang). All men and equipment were summoned from the population. Vikings favoured the sword and the long broad bladed battle axe. These heavy axes were capable of killing a horse and its rider in one mighty blow. Spears were also used. Some use of the short bow and slings is also evident. Almost all of them carried a short knife. Vikings carried round wooden shields, sometimes with metal edging, and with a metal boss in the centre. Helmets were made of metal or leather and some of them had faceguards. The wealthier warriors wore ring mail shirts or padded leather jerkins. Horse was used for mobility as the Viking warrior fought on foot. On the top of the Viking social ladder were the Jarls. These were chieftains of varied importance. They owned lands, ships and had their own bands of warriors. They were well armoured and they would carry a sword, double axe, knife and shield. The Hirdmen were the main body of the army. These would be paid by the Jarls and they would wear metal or high quality leather armour. They would carry axes, swords, knives and round shields. The Bondi were people owning land and they were a large partof the population. They would only participate in larger operations and would be summoned only when needed. Most of them were equipped with axe, sword, spear and they would carry a wooden reinforced round shield. Only the wealthier wore armour. Many of the warriors also carried javelins or bows. The Berserkers would go 'beserk' as the name suggests. They would come to a state of frenzied rage, scream, bite their weapons and then rush to meet their enemies regardless of injuries or danger. They would most times fight to the last if so needed. They would usually fight with large battle axes or they would use two swords at the same time or any other combination of weapons. ANGLO-SAXONS. BACKGROUND. Anglo-Saxons consisted of Angles, Saxons and Jutes. These people migrated to England during the 5th Century. During the following centuries they conquered and settled in England and emerged as a number of independent Kingdoms. During the Viking invasions however the only Kingdom to put up an effective resistance and survive was the Royal House of Wessex under King Alfred. During the Viking era the Anglo-Saxons were organised under a levy system known as the 'Fyrd'. The 'Select Fyrd' consisted of well equiped and experienced men while the 'General Fyrd' consisted of less experienced troops in lesser armour. The 'Select Fyrd' could be summoned at any time several times a year for different periods of time, while the 'General Fyrd' would only be summoned in real emergencies and then only for defensive purposes. The army. The Anglo-Saxons did not have a fighting navy until King Alfred's reign (871 - 901 AD) when ships were built. These ships were twice as long as the Viking Dragonships, had up to sixty rows, possibly a ram, and a crew of up to 120 men. The Anglo-Saxon army was a mobile force on horse-back, however they used to dismount and then fight on foot in close ranks. On the top of the social ladder were the Earls. These represented the ruling nobility under their King. They held estates and were responsible for calling the able men of the General Fyrd and leading them to battle. The Thanes constituted the greater part of the Select Fyrd and wore a mail corcelet or good quality leather jerkin, a knee length byrnie and iron or leather helmet. The richer thanes were mounted and some of them served as the King's bodyguards (the King's Thanes). They used swords, spears, javelins and carried a round shield. The Ceorl were farmers and they were considered as upper peasantry. Depending on their status which varied considerably, only a few would serve the Select Fyrd while the rest would serve the General Fyrd. Their weapons were similar to those carried by Thanes but only a few wore body armour. Bows were not extensively used and bowmen wore no armour. All warriors carried a knife or short sword. Peasants would only be called to fight at real emergencies. They lacked training, any kind of real discipline and morale. They did not carry shields and did not wear armour. They were mainly armed with cheap swords, knives, scythes, clubs, stakes, pitchforks etc. The Huscarls were professional mercenaries. They were very highly trained, disciplined and well armed. A small number of them would be mounted. These were the backbone of the Anglo-Saxon army and their services were expensive. Their favourite weapon was a long double handed axe with a large cutting edge. The Huscarls also used swords and javelins. They wore mail or leather armour and a knee length byrnie. Head protection was offered by iron or leather helmets. They also carried a kite shaped shield with a metal boss in the centre. ANGLO-NORMANS. BACKGROUND Two days after Harold's victory at Stamford Bridge the Normans under William of Normandy sailed to challenge Harold's right to the English crown. At the battle of Hastings Harold lost both the battle and his life. William was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey. Although he still had to quell numerous rebellions and safeguard his new Kingdom from the Vikings, William firmly established the Norman rule in England. The army. Horses had been used in the past mainly to transport the soldier to battle and by mounted warriors to slowly penetrate the enemy ranks using their lance to stub their way through. The Norman heavy knight however placed his weight as well as that of his horse, armour and shield at the tip of his lance. The high saddle, stirrup and the shod hooves were the main reason for this being possible. When these knights charged in numbers the shock delivered was colossal and only heavily armed and disciplined infantry could absorb it. Norman knights would dismount and fight on foot if needed. Their armour consisted of a heavy mail hauberk, This was usually knee-length and cut at the front and rear so that the skirts would hang down when on horse-back. A 'coif-de-mailles' or leather hood would offer added head protection and was worn under the metal conical helm which had a nasal. The Normans used swords as slashing weapons as well as double handed swords, maces and of course the lance. For added protection they carried a long kite shaped wooden shield usually covered by leather. The rest of the army consisted of heavy infantry with mail, shield, lance and sword as well as lightly armed cavalry and infantry. The Normans also used the bow and at a lesser extent the sling. STAMFORD BRIDGE, 1066 AD. Introduction. After the battle of Fulford Gate in which the Saxon army lost more than 1,000 of its best men King Harold Godwineson was faced with a task of trying to gain a victory against the invading Vikings before the Normans invaded southern England. Historical Background. In 1065 Tostig Godwineson the Earl of Northumbria was expelled and his brother Harold did nothing to help him as this would have started a civil war. Tostig also believed that he should have been crowned King instead of his brother Harold. Tostig tried to get support from King Svein of the Danes and then from King Harald Hardrada of Norway. The Viking forces gathered at Solund Isles and were later reinforced on their way to Scotland. The fleet numbered 300 ships and 9,000 to 12,000 men. They first came ashore at Cleveland and plundered the land. Scarborough resisted Hardrada's army and the city was burned to the ground and many of its people were massacred. Then the Viking army scattered a Saxon militia force at Holder-ness, sailed up the Humber landing at Riccall, and then marched to the city of York. On Wednesday 20th September 1066 the northern Saxon forces under the Earls Edwin, Morcar and Waltheof were badly beaten by the Vikings. Subsequently York surrendered and 500 hostages were demanded by Hardrada to be gathered by the 25th of the same month. The Battle. On the 25th Hardrada followed by Tostig and 8,000 warriors arrived at Stamford Bridge. The rest of his army 3,000 strong stayed with the ships. It was a hot day and many warriors left their armour on the ships, after all they were only to pick up the hostages arriving from York. As Harold's army approached Stamford Bridge the Vikings initially thought that the approaching force would be rebels willing to join them. It was too late when the 'Golden Warrior' standard came into view. As most of Hardrada's army was on the wrong side of the river, retreat would have been a very difficult affair. Hardrada decided to defend on the right hand side of the river while he sent for reinforcements. A unit was left to defend the bridge until his army could get organised. He decided to defend his position until reinforcements arrived. The bridge was soon cleared by the Saxons but a single Viking warrior in mail wielding a battle axe prevented the Saxons from falling on the disorganised Viking army. It is said that he claimed more than 40 Saxons before someone stabbed him from underneath the bridge. It was then that Harold's army rushed and attacked the Norwegians who by now had formed a circle. An offer made by Harold to Tostig was refused by the latter and the battle started with mounted Saxons attacking the Norwegian shield wall while in turn they fired their bows and threw their javelins at the charging horsemen. The Saxons repeatedly regrouped and charged again until the Vikings followed up the retiring riders who turned back and cut them down. In view of that, Hardrada charged to help his men but he was struck down by an arrow. The remaining forces retreated under their banner 'Land-Waster' and Tostig's forces joined them. As the two forces fell back to regroup another offer by Harold was once more refused. At this time Orre and the 3,000 men from the fleet arrived and fell upon the Saxons who by now were nearly broke. This new onslaught did not last for very long as the exhausted Vikings after a 12 mile forced march were unable to fight for long. As time passed many threw off their mail, others collapsed or died of exhaustion. By late afternoon Hardrada and Tostig were dead, for the Vikings it was all over. The Saxons pursued them to the ships where the fight continued. Harold let the remaining Vikings go in 24 ships out of the initial 300. It is said that almost 7,000 Norwegians lost their lives but this could be a little too high. Sp=spear, Jvls= javelins, Sw=sword, 2HW= two handed weapon, Ax=axe, L= lance, B=bow, Lb=long bow, Sl=sling, I=Irregular troops. THE ANGLO-SAXON ARMY Name & Type Morale Weapons Huscarls 2*350 Heavy cavalry B Sp/Jvls/Sw Huscarls 4*500 Heavy Infantry B 2HW/Sw/Jvls Thanes 1*300 Heavy Infantry A 2HW/Sw/Jvls Sel. Fyrd 2*500 Heavy Infantry C Sp/Sw G. Fyrd(l) 2*500 Med/Heavy Inf. D Sp/Sw G.Fyrd(l) 1*500 Medium Infantry D Sp/Sword G.Fyrd(l) 1*500 Medium Infantry D Sp/Jvls Bowmen(l) 2*250 Light Infantry D B All but light infantry carry shields. THE VIKING ARMY Name & Type Morale Weapons Hirdmen 4*500 Heavy Infantry B 2HW/Sw Hirdmen 5*500 Heavy Infantry C Sw Beserkers2*350 Medium Infantry A 2HW Bondi 2*500 Med/Heavy Inf. C Ax/Jvls Bondi 4*500 Medium Infantry D Sw/Jvls Bondi(l) 2*500 Medium Infantry D Ax Bowmen(l) 2*250 Light Infantry D B Slingers(l) 250 Light Infantry D SI All but light infantry carry shields. THE MENAI STRAITS, 1098 AD. Introduction. The Menai Straits seperate Anglesey from North Wales. The most probable location of the battle is the North Anglesey shore. The battle becomes more interesting when we look at it in relation to Stamford Bridge as it involved the Harold Godwine-son's son Harold, Harald Hardrada's grandson Magnus III and the son of the regent of Normady during the 1066 campaign Hugh De Montgomery. So 32 years after Stamford Bridge the Vikings once more posed a threat to England. Historical Background. Following the conquest of England between 1066-71 William I gave his Norman barons 'carte blanc' to expand into Wales. This meant that any new lands conquered would become their own. During the following years the Normans built a castle between Welshpool and Shrewsbury. Similar castles were used as bases to conquer the southern and northern coastal Welsh lands. The Welsh resisted and even inflicted important defeats upon the Anglo-Normans in the 1090s. A large expedition led by William Rufus failed to achieve anything and a new expedition was planned by Hugh of Shrewsbury and Hugh d'Avranches of Chester along the North Welsh coast. During this period King Magnus III of Norway and his fleet of sixty ships were campaigning around the British Isles. Many of the Western Isles were conquered and by 1097 he established his forces on the Isle of Man which was used as a base for raids on Galloway. Then he decided to harry Anglesey with his fleet accompanied by Harold's Godwineson's son Harold. In 1098 the Anglo-Normans marched into Gwynedd along the coast and after facing a few problems they crossed to Anglesey which they ravaged. The Battle. Round this time the Norwegian fleet appeared off the island. It seems that Magnus III had chosen the spot where the Anglo-Normans were already encamped. The English army was scattered at the time and as the Vikings approached, bowshots were exchanged between the two sides. As the Vikings poured out of the Dragonships it appears that Hugh of Shrewsbury led a charge into the sea. The reason may have been that he wanted to buy time, or that he simply wanted to encourage his army. He was nevertheless killed when an arrow hit him on the eye. From then on it seems that a hard battle followed with the English trying to organise their army and with the Norse arriving at different times trying to join the main body of their army. Eventually the English fled, but only after they had inflicted heavy casualties on the Norwegians. Magnus did not stay to celebrate his victory as he was afraid that the remains of his army were not strong enough to fight the English a second time. THE ANGLO-NORMAN ARMY Name & Type Morale Weapons Knights 1*130 Ex. Heavy cavalry A L/Sw Knights 1*130 Heavy cavalry B L7Sw English(l) 5*200 Med/Heavy Infantry C Sp/Sw Normans 1*200 Heavy Infantry B 2HW/Sw English 2*180 Heavy Infantry C Sp/Sw Normans 1*100 Med/Heavy cavalry C Sp English(l) 1*200 Medium Infantry D Sp Welsh(l) 3*120 Medium Bowmen D Lb All but light infantry carry shields. A small number of Irish pirates could also have joined the Earls as they helped to Ferry the Norman army across the straits. THE VIKING ARMY Name & Type Morale Weapons Huscarls 1*200 Ex. Heavy Infantry A 2HW/Sw Hirdmen 2*200 Heavy Infantry B 2HW/Sw Vikings(l) 2*200 Heavy Infantry C Ax/Sw/Jvls Vikings 2*200 Med/Heavy Infantry C Ax/Sw/Jvls Vikings(l) 2*200 Medium Infantry C Sp Bondi(l) 2*200 Med/Heavy Infantry D Sp Bondi 2*200 Med/Heavy Infantry C Sw/B Bondi(l) 2*200 Med/Heavy Infantry D Sw/B All but light infantry carry shields. TERRAIN Description Cover Movement Offered Cost Roads, Flat ground, 0 3 Clearing. Grass, Rough ground. 0 4 Bridge. 0 3 Old Roman Road. 0 3 Woods. 2 6 Large woods. 2 6 Trees. 1 6 Rocks. 2 8 Stone walls. 2 6 Undergrowth. 1 5 Bushes, Small trees. 1 5 Fence. 0 6 Buildings. 3 8 Slopes. 1 6 Stream. 0 6 River. 0 8 Beach. 0 6 Sea, Imp. NA Lake. Saxon boats. Imp. NA Dragonships. Imp. NA DESIGNER'S NOTES. VIKINGS incorporates many new features which have not been used in computer wargames before which give a lot of detail to the actual reconstruction of the battles included. Many of these new features were extremely important in the real battles and often they were the crucial factor to the outcome of the battle. The computer controlled Viking units behave as an army rather than individual units. They can create various formations and defend where they have an advantage or attack together when necessary. In both battles, the Viking army expects reinforcements at the beginning of the game. A number of Viking units will usually attack the player's side, thus making possible for the Vikings to form their warriors. In real life battles only a small proportion of the soldiers which took part were actually killed. The main reason for this is that the majority of the troops would stop fighting once they sensed that they were going to lose the battle, or simply were under too much danger in that part of the battle field. Instead they would turn round and start retreating taking no notice of their commanders. The game simulates this very well. Obviously poor troops have a much greater chance of routing than Knights. Despite this however, they will usually recover and obey orders once they are out of immediate danger and rejoin the battle. Keep in mind however that the greater the casualties that the unit has suffered, the less likely it is that it will come back for more fighting. In some exceptional cases in history armies were almost completely destroyed (eg Stamford Bridge). This does not mean that the whole army stayed and fought to the last man, because if it did both armies would suffer severe casualties. Instead the army was pursued as it was retreating or routing suffering very high casualties during this process. The game can simulate this, (keep charging routed units with cavalry) but eliminating whole sections of an army this way is a lot harder than eliminating individual units. Keep in mind that the computer controlled side can use this to its advantage too! It was a well known and a frequently used strategy in ancient times to win a battle by routing just one flank of the opposing army. The centre would keep the opposition at bay, while the right flank would charge and rout the enemy left flank. Then these forces would turn and attack the opposition centre from the rear. This outflanking strategy can be recreated very efficiently by the computer-controlled side. Open order units (light troops) used to operate in a unique way, and VIKINGS recreates this properly. Watch the Viking skirmish units evading your own troops, suddenly turning back and launching their projectiles while being supported by close order troops as needed. MADE IN ENGLAND This program is the Copyright of Challenge Software, and no part may be Copied, Stored, Transmitted or Reproduced in any Form or by any means, Hired or Lent without the express permission of Challenge Software, 37 Westmoor Road, Enfield, Middlesex EN3 7LE. © CHALLENGE SOFTWARE 1989 Typesetting & Printing R.V.F. & SA. Kemp, 28 Lea Close, Bishop's Stortford CM23 SEA