<!--
	Title: Board Games That Think
	Subtitle: Move over Monopoly! Make room for games that are always ready to play
	Author: Shay Addams
	Source: Family Computing, v4(11)
	Date: November 1986
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<figure>
<img style="max-width: 90%; display: block; margin: auto;" src="/public/img/articles/family-computing-board-games/title-image.png" alt="Board Games That Think">
<figcaption class="smaller right">ILLUSTRATION BY GARY HOVLAND</figcaption>
</figure>

<p class="dropcap-3">Monopoly and Risk, checkers and
chess — these were the kinds of
board games we played back when
the smallest computer filled a large room. The
main drawback was that you had to round up
at least one more player, but too often everyone
else wanted to watch cartoons instead. Today's
"smart" board games solve that dilemma by
including a computer-controlled foe that is always
ready to play. The software also does the
dirty work of refereeing and acting as banker.</p>

## LIKE MONOPOLY ON ANOTHER PLANET

My favorite computer board game is
*M.U.L.E.*, which is like Monopoly on an alien
planet. The board consists of squares that are
plots of land. Instead of building houses and
hotels, however, up to four players compete to
stake out and develop their plots by raising
crops, digging for minerals, and constructing
energy plants. With a joystick, you move mechanical
M.U.L.E.'s around your plots and control
other aspects of the game. The players are
represented by aliens like Bonzoids or Mechtrons,
which have varying capabilities. In a
solo game, you determine the enemy's "intelligence"
by choosing weak or strong computer
opponents. Strategy is vital, but there's a lot of
animation as the Bonzoids and other colonists
engage in a tug-of-war with other players to
bargain for prices when buying or selling
goods. Other events are also animated, and the
sound effects are lively. The player with the
greatest net worth when the ship returns,
wins. In addition to the standard game, a tournament
version is included.

<div class="article-sidebar-dark float-right-half" style="background: #BEB; border: 1px solid;">
<h3 class="center" style="font-family: var(--article-sans) Arial sans-serif; color: darkgreen;">WAR GAMES:<br>BOARD GAMES WITH GUTS</h2>
In a computerized war game, your troops are
represented by little "counters" that have specific
weapons, defensive and offensive ratings, and
other factors the program uses to calculate battle
results. In this manner, history's most memorable
campaigns can be refought without spilling a
drop of blood, and hypothetical wars between
current world powers are even available. These
are the most complex kind of computer games, so
it pays to start off with one designed for beginners.

One good choice is *Operation Whirlwind*,
which makes you the general of a fictitious nation's
army as it invades a neighbor. For something
more authentic, *Nam* delivers six minigame
scenarios that range from easy to tough
and combines helicopter units with the infantry.
*Battle of Antietam* is an American Civil War game
that includes an introductory module with simplified
rules. Once you've mastered the basics,
you can learn the more intricate rules in the
intermediate and advanced levels. My all-time favorite
beginner war game is *Mech Brigade*, in
which war breaks out between Soviet and NATO
forces in West Germany and you are armed with
the latest missiles and tanks.

If you'd rather be flying, take a spin in *Europe
Ablaze*, which restages the Battle of Britain,
and more. If you want to duke it out with swords
and arrows, *The Ancient Art of War* features
uniquely animated battle scenes that offer relief
from the standard aerial view of a map. Like
virtually all war games, replay value is increased
because you can create your own battlefield by
deciding where trees, roads, and other terrain
features should go. Many of these military games
will also randomly generate a fresh map for you.
</div>

## THE FOIBLES OF "FOOBLES"

*Fooblitzky* looks like a traditional Monopoly-style
board game, offering shops to visit as
you travel the board trying to buy four particular
items before anyone else does. The shops
are connected by other squares that form the
city's blocks, which you traverse by spinning
the wheel of fortune for a number and moving
your token that many steps in any direction.
You may meet the "Chance Man" (remember
Monopoly's Chance cards?) or get to bump another
player by landing on his or her square.

But the point of the game is decidedly different,
as you rely on logical deduction to figure
out which four items are the correct ones
to buy. At the start of a game, each player
secretly chooses one item — such as light bulbs,
tennis rackets, and teddy bears — from 18
items displayed on-screen (if there are fewer
than four players, each player picks one item
and the computer chooses the rest). As the
manual puts it, "These four secretly chosen
items become the four correct items that you
must obtain and bring to a check point in
order to win the game." The value of each item
is measured in "Foobles." Numerous scenes
and encounters are vividly portrayed and
sometimes animated. To keep track of correct
items, each player uses a plastic board that
shows the town and has room for notes that
can be wiped clean with a damp cloth or
sponge. It will take longer than usual for most
people to figure out Fooblitzky, since the concept
is so different (though the board looks so
familiar): in some ways, the game reminds me
of an algebraic equation — certain factors are
known and others are unknown. That's why I
recommend it to anyone looking for something
truly cerebral and unusual. The detailed manual
suggests seven or eight variations and rule
changes that give the game extra replay value.
Up to four can play, but this is the only game
listed here that cannot be played solo.

## IF I RULED THE WORLD...

In *Diplomacy*, *Colonial Conquest* and
*Lords of Conquest*, the on-screen board portrays
a map of the world, or a part of it, and
your goal is to dominate the world. You attain
this with cunning, management of resources,
and battle — although the latter is far less important
than in typical computer war games.
(See the box. "War Games: Board Games With
Guts.") Negotiation and deception take place
among human players, as you hash out nonaggression
pacts or form alliances to smash an
other player's country. *Diplomacy* is based on
a genuine board game with an on-screen map
that depicts Europe on the eve of World War I,
and up to seven gamers control the major powers.
(The computer plays all empty positions.)
As the name suggests, negotiation is the key
weapon in the arsenal of the successful
"Dippy" player.

The conflict in *Colonial Conquest* unfolds
on a bigger battlefield; 125 nations span the
globe displayed on a scrolling map. The game
offers three scenarios staged under different
conditions from 1880 to 1914. Battle between
armies and navies is more crucial here than in
*Diplomacy*, but strategy and secret treaties
remain the order of the day. *Lords of Conquest*
resembles the board game Risk, as you struggle
to develop your nation's resources (gold,
timber, coal, etc.) while plotting where to send
your troops. Negotiations are instrumental,
but players can also trade goods. For those
preferring a historical backdrop. *Diplomacy* or
*Colonial Conquest* is recommended. Other
wise, *Lords of Conquest* — with its superior
graphics, 20 maps, the option of playing on a
randomly generated map, and a "map construction
kit" that lets you create your own
scenarios — is the game of choice.

## WILL THE REAL COMPUTER CHESS GAME PLEASE STAND UP?

Chess, the original board game, has
adapted well to the era of computer entertainment.
For years, *Sargon III* (and its predecessors
*Sargons I* and *II*) reigned as champion of
the rank and file, offering a formidable opponent
for solo games. Like most computer chess
games, it will referee two-player matches and
also includes a disk of grandmaster games
that can be replayed on-screen and studied
move-by-move. The latest challenge to *Sargon*'s
supremacy comes from new titles like
*Chessmaster 2000* and *Psion Chess*. In these
two games, you can choose a more realistic,
almost three-dimensional, view of the board
and pieces in addition to the usual overhead
perspective. *Psion* also boasts of an algorithm
that enables it to "think" faster and perhaps
more cunningly, while *Chessmaster* has a
"coffeehouse mode" in which it makes more
unpredictable moves. Its handy tutorial mode
highlights the squares to which any piece can
move. *Chess 7.0*, while not new, goes even
further by allowing you to see which pieces are
attacking or defending a selected square or
piece. *How About a Nice Game of Chess* is a
full-blown tutorial program, and thus is excellent
for beginners. (I've played them all at the
easiest level, and *Chess 7.0* was the only one I
beat the first time out.)

On the other hand, *Archon* is like playing
chess in the "Twilight Zone." The playing field
looks like a typical chess board with pieces
that look like trolls, dragons, and unicorns
instead of pawns and rooks. Some wield magical
powers as well as swords and other weapons.
When you move a piece onto a square held
by the enemy, the board vanishes and is replaced
by a close-up of the battle as you fight it
out arcade-style. Then the board reappears
and the next strategy round of moves is conducted.
Animation and sound effects are top-notch.
Strategy is vital, but you won't stand a
chance here unless you've got a fast finger on
the joystick and learn to cast magic spells effectively.
The sequel, *Archon II: Adept*, introduces
new creatures, spells, and battlegrounds
that are woven into an oblong chess board that
includes other unique features.

<div class="article-sidebar-dark float-right-half" style="background: #BEB; border: 1px solid;">
<h3 class="center" style="font-family: var(--article-sans) Arial sans-serif; color: darkgreen;">GAME SOFTWARE INFORMATION</h2>

**The Ancient Art of War** (BR). IBM PC/PCjr, Macintosh.
$45. **Archon** (EA). Amiga, Apple, Atari, C 64/128,
IBM PC/PCjr, Macintosh. $40 (Amiga, Macintosh), $15
(others). **Archon II: Adept** (EA). Amiga,
Apple, Atari, C 64/128. $33 (Atari, C 64). $40
(Amiga, Apple). **Battle of Antietam** (SS). Apple,
Atari, C 64/128. $50. **Chess 7.0** (OD). Apple, Atari,
C 64/128, IBM PC/PCjr. $70. **Chessmaster 2000**
(EA). Amiga, Apple, Atari, Atari 52OST, C 64/128,
IBM PC/PCjr, Macintosh. $45 (Amiga, Atari ST,
Macintosh), $4O (others). **Colonial Conquest** (SS).
64K Apple, Atari, C 64/128. $4O. **Diplomacy** (AH).
IBM PC/PCjr, Tandy Models III/4. $50 (IBM). $20
(Tandy). **Europe Ablaze** (EA). Apple, C 64/128. $50.
**Fooblitzky** (IC). 128K Apple IIe/IIc, Atari, IBM PC/PCjr.
$40. **How About a Nice Game of Chess** (OD). Apple,
C 64/128. $35. **Lords of Conquest** (EA). Apple,
Atari, C 64/128. $33 (Atari, C 64). $40 (Apple).
**Mech Brigade** (SS). Apple, Atari, C 64/128. $60.
**M.U.L.E.** (EA). Atari, C 64/128. $15. **Nam** (SS). Apple,
Atari, C 64/128. $40. **Odin** (OD). Apple, Atari,
Tandy Models I/III. $50. **Operation Whirlwind** (BR).
Atari, C 64/128. $40. **Pensate** (PO). Apple, Atari, C
64/128, Macintosh. $9. **Psion Chess** (PS). 256K IBM
PC/PCjr, Macintosh. $60. **Sargon III** (SP). Apple,
Atari, C 64/128, IBM PC/PCjr, Macintosh. $50
(Macintosh). $40 (others).

#### PUBLISHERS KEY

**AH:** Avalon-Hill. (301) 254-5300.<br>
**BB:** Broderbund. (415)479-1700.<br>
**EA:** Electronic Arts. (415) 571-7171.<br>
**IC:** Infocom, (617) 492-6000.<br>
**OD:** Odesta. (312) 498-5615.<br>
**PO:** Polarware/Penguin. (312) 232-1984.<br>
**PS:** Psion Inc., (203) 371-4371.<br>
**SP:** Spinnaker/Hayden, (617) 494-1200.<br>
**SS:** Strategic Simulations. (415) 964-1353.

<p class="italic smaller">Note: All games for the IBM PC require a color graphics card.
Titles listed for the IBM PC/PCjr will also run on many IBM PC
compatibles; owing to the proliferation of compatibles, check
with the publisher or your dealer for compatibility. Unless otherwise
noted, minimum memory requirements are 48K for Apple II
series, 48K for Atari 800/XL/XE series, 128K for IBM PC/PCjr, and
128K for Macintosh.</p>

</div>

A game of chess can take forever, so for
faster fun you might consider *Odin*. Based on
Othello, whose roots go back to the 18th century,
this battle for territory is pitched on a
similar 8 x 8-square board. Players can capture
an opponent's piece by catching it between
two of his; the pattern looks like the
opposite of the successful tic-tac-toe tactic of
placing an X between two O's. When no one
can move any longer, the player with the most
pieces is declared the winner. The best feature
of these games, including chess, is the one
that lets you take back your last move. You
know, the move right before the computer captured
your queen — and then the one before
that, all the way back to the beginning of the
game.

That isn't possible in *Pensate*. an inventive
game that can be completed in a few minutes.
On a standard chess board, you merely
have to move your sole piece from the bottom
to the top. The computer moves several pieces
and can capture yours if it moves to the same
square. It's a tricky game because there are
different types of pieces, each with bizarre
moves: Some pieces always move one square
down and two squares to the right; others
always move diagonally. You get to select where
your pieces move, and the computer's moves
are determined by the skill level you choose.
Unlike the previous games, *Pensate* can only
be played solo.

So whether you're looking for a trip to
another planet or just a friendly game of chess,
there's an 'intelligent" computer board game
for you, one that won't say "I'd rather watch
TV!" when you feel like playing.

*Editor's Note: Turn to the Entertainment
Department on page 28 for tips and tricks to
help you in playing some of the games mentioned
above, including Archon and Colonial
Conquest.*

---

SHAY ADDAMS *is the editor of* "Questbusters," *a
newsletter for adventure fans. In the
April issue of* FAMILY COMPUTING, *he wrote
"From Towers to Dungeons: The
Universe of Fantasy Role-Playing Software."*
