Producer: PSS
Retail Price: £12.95

Conflicts 1 is a compilation of three games - Falklands '82, Theatre Europe and Battle of Britain. There's no point in my giving full reviews of them - they all been reviewed in CRASH (Issue 27/April 86, Issue 30/July 86, Issue 37/February 87 respectively). But let's put the collection in perspective. is it worth paying the price of one new wargame for three old ones?

The lead track is Theatre Europe, one of the few wargames which have been conspicuous commercial successes; it's famous for its 'stand'.

Most wargames take a neutral view of their own ethics, despite the disclaimers that some companies publish in their rulebooks. Theatre Europe is a long-view representation of a war in Europe between NATO and the Warsaw Pact - you know, the sort that could happen tomorrow afternoon - which shows how quickly even limited use of nuclear weapons could lead to total devastation.

Commendable as this is, it means the game balances on a knife edge between statement and playability.

Still, Theatre Europe is a very playable and horribly fascinating. It's a combox game, involving the movement of tiny units across a crowded map of Europe and the spending of resource points, and even has an appalling arcade sequence in the familiar PSS style.

The idea is to survive till the Americans arrive if you're NATO or to take over West Germany if you're the Warsaw Pact. Nuking enemy cities, or subjecting them to chemical attack, runs down the other side's supplies, but retaliation is inevitable. After provocation you'll probably find yourself on the receiving end of Fireplan Warm Puppy, which is Theatre Europe terminology for the complete destruction of Western civilisation.

The game has a few impressive atmospheric touches, like the ironically dispassionate Warcomp computer which checks your authorisation for launching chemical or nuclear strikes. Not many wargames can claim to be ironic.

All computer wargamers should have a go at this experience. It's hardly a long-term project, despite its three difficult levels, but in some ways it's inspired.

Battle Of Britain is almost new on the Spectrum, but it's been around longer on other machines. Stylistically it looks very similar to Theatre Europe, with a combox, tiny little units and an arcade sequence, but the gameplay is very different. It's a realtime simulation of the Battle Of Britain in 1941, when the Luftwaffe tried to storm the south of England and the RAF fought them off.

You can choose from a quick (and too easy) blitzkrieg game, an introductory training level, and a campaign game which takes place over 30 days, like the real battle. This lasts several hours, and must be a test of endurance.

A choice of speeds varies the difficulty, and the gameplay is a test of reactions and quick thinking. There's no time to do any strategic planning - it becomes a fast-moving, rather addictive puzzle. The programming is professional and the arcade sequence is marginally lass awful than the one in Theatre Europe, though it has a time cutoff and so is no more than a trimming.

Falklands '82 is the turkey of the compilation. This was unfavourably reviewed, and caused comment on the morality, or tact, of bringing out a wargame based on such a recent conflict. But whatever your views on the ethics, Falklands '82 is not a good wargame. Its orders system is clumsy and frustrating, its graphics are peculiarly weedy, and it's far too easy.

Conflicts 1 comes complete with its own rulebook: a cut-down, concise version of the original manuals. Sadly all historical and atmospheric material has been removed - but if you don't have any of the games, Conflicts 1 gives fairly good value for money.

FAX BOX
Title: Conflicts 1
Publisher: PSS
Price: £12.95

Now here's a compilation with some first class wargames at a real bargain price. PSS's Conflicts 1 has three super re-released games, each different in type, which means there just must be something to suit you on this tape.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Battle Of Britain has the RAF (you) going all out against the Luftwaffe. Waves of enemy bombers and fighters come in across the Channel and North Sea. Your job is to scramble your Spitfires and Hurricanes to prevent the Germans from reaching their targets. Action is fast, and not only must you fight, but you must keep our aircraft fuelled and armed. The control system is easy to learn and operate. You can either play a training game, or a blitzkrieg, which is the same except that the Luftwaffe is much more aggressive. For the enthusiast there's a campaign game of 30 days, in which you resupply the airfields at the end of each day. In the game there's also a simple shoot 'em up arcade sequence whenever an RAF squadron engages the enemy. The map display is clear, neat and packed with information.

A straightforward game, so the tactics are fairly simple, of course, but you can greatly improve your chances by well-planned play. A good game for beginners.

THEATRE EUROPE

Theatre Europe, on the other hand, is played with a devastating range of armaments, including chemical and nuclear weapons. It's for either one or two players, and in the one player game you can choose to command either NATO or the Warsaw Pact forces. You can also make the computer play itself. There's an arcade battle sequence which is not particularly good and, fortunately, is optional. The main game turn (one day) is divided into phases - move, attack and resupply, followed by the same phases for the enemy. Strategy plays a more important part than tactics - supplying your armies, allocated air cover to them, reinforcing them, deciding which types of mission to fly and, last bu not least, deciding whether or not to employ chemical and nuclear weapons and, if so, where and in what quantity. The clever graphics and clear screen displays keep you in touch with events, but there isn't enough feedback on the effects of your strategies, which is a shame. Still, a good strategy game with plenty to think about.

FALKLANDS 82

If you're a wargame enthusiast, Falklands 82 may be the game for you. There are no frills - it's played on a small but adequate map, and you can ponder as long as you like as you move or fire your British units. The Argentinians counter-attack only after you've finished. Those who like a fast-moving game may find the pace tame, but the keen tactician will find plenty to do, planning ahead and using the terrain and the many types of unit to the best advantage.

The aim of the game is to occupy all the settlements on the island, but this is far from easy. The Argies seem to spring up out of nowhere. You need to make full use of the SAS and SBS units for reconnoitring ahead of the main force and uncovering ambushes. The game system is easy to learn, for there are full on-screen prompts at all stages. A minor fault is that only one unit can be on a map square at any one time, which unnecessarily limits the flexibility of manoeuvre.

Still, it's a competently written game, not outstanding, but one that could provide hours of interest.

Battle of Britain: 7/10
Theatre Europe: 8/10
Falklands 82: 7/10
Total: 8/10

Label: PSS
Author: In-house
Price: £12.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Gary Rook

Conflicts 1 is PSS's first wargames compilation tape - three games, Battle of Britain, Falklands 82 and Theatre Europe.

All three games included in this pack share the same basic structure. The game is played using a computer map, and the players manoeuvre units, representing divisions or regiments, air squadrons or planes or ships about it. Victory is decided by achieving set conditions - take Port Stanley, defend Germany etc.

When they were sold separately, I would quite happily have forked out hard earned cash for Theatre Europe, might have bought Battle of Britain, and definitely would have given the Falklands a miss. At over four quid a game this pack is an OKish deal.