Strategic PC wargames & Talonsoft Query

[Scorched Earth]

Hi all, anybody can help with some advice/info would be great.

1. Does anybody know what the difference is between the "World at War" Talonsoft boxset and Gary Grigsby's World War Talonsoft box set offered at Navalwarfare. Are these both gold editions of all three titles with fall of the reich?

2. I can remember a board game based on Op Barbarossa which came as three seperate boxes with maps of the Soviet Union into the far east and covering the whole war. Is there a PC based version of this game? Or does something like Hearts of Iron II fit the bill?, has anybody played this game. I am after something strategic, Russian front and historically accurate as possible.

thanks for any advice.

cheers

Robert

[Aries]

It's a case of lousy name choices being selected.

First off there is the Bruce Harper A World at War board game that evolved out of Third Reich.
And oddly enough, Matrix Games announced a distant intent to port it to computer (don't get your hopes up).

Then there is the World at War computer game series that was released a long was back with D-Day, Crusader and Stalingrad.

I have the release of the Campaign series known as Europe in Flames, which is just an earlier compilation now known as World at War. Its the Campaign series though, and Campaign series is likely the name most of us prefer to call them by.
Picking World at War was merely a dumb choice picked by an uninspired marketer who likely could care less.

Gary Grigsby has recently gone gold on his game A World at War, which is basically a more complex Axis and Allies, and is grand strategy, and has no real similarity to the Campaign series, aside from the fact Gary likely didn't spend more than 5 seconds thinking up the name.

Stay tuned, I am almost positive someone else will release a wargame, and conclude "A World at War" would make a perfect title.

[Aries]

Now if you want an operational wargame, Russian front, whole war, something you can dive into and not come up for air for long spans of time.

Visit HPS, as they have several John Tiller titles that might aid you in that quest.

Although, I think Schwerpunct's game Russo German War might be the most complete design.

They are not quite "grand strategy" and likely the term operational is more fitting. No politics etc involved.

You might want to peek at Strategic Command. It is not solely based on Russian Front, but I can assure you, it will give you as much Russian Front as you could want at the grand strategy level.

And of course, TOAW, it has your Russian Front needs as well.
But it is pricier and prone to sporadic availability issues half the time.

[Scorched Earth]

Thank you, you have me lots to think about and look for. Cheers. Robert.