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By Brad Cook

Raspy coughs and whispered talk echoed down the hallway as I crept along it, MacBook under my arm and luck by my side. Thanks to a copy of Abel Gance’s epic 330-minute silent film “Napoleon” loaded on an iPod touch, I had captivated the guards at Longwood House, on the island of Saint Helena, long enough to slip past them. They would be occupied for a while.

I entered the room at the end of the hall. A broken, sickly man lay in a bed, his head sunk deep in a pillow — Napoleon Bonaparte, once one of the most powerful men in the world, was ending his life with a whimper, rather than a bang. He was in the middle of a conversation with someone who was furiously writing down his every word, but he stopped mid-sentence as I opened my laptop and showed him a hex-based map of the Battle of Waterloo in the year 1815. I only needed a few simple sentences to convey what he was looking at; he quickly shooed the other man out of the room.

A Dealer in Hope

His grasp of English was rudimentary at best, but the language of warfare is universal, and Napoleon soon displayed more vigor than I imagined he had in a long time. He and I dove into the Waterloo scenario, which begins with Prussian soldiers near the French border — success requires not just fending them off but also preventing their merger with allied British troops. With just five turns available, every decision was critical, and both terrain and weather could affect each unit’s movement speed and effectiveness.

As I maneuvered infantry and cavalry troops into position, the dying former Emperor began pointing excitedly at the screen: engage cavalry against infantry for the best advantage, and bring in artillery for support from the rear. The Prussian forces near Liege and Brussels soon found themselves pushed back on their heels. I clicked the end turn button and we watched as the Prussians made their moves, countering some of Napoleon’s strategy in the process, which he did not appreciate. Perhaps he understood all too well that adage about being doomed to repeat history.

We earned some production points before our next turn, so I opened the production screen to see which units we could purchase to fortify our position. I heard a low gasp when Napoleon saw the image of Eugene de Beauharnais, his stepson and one of the Emperor’s key generals during his reign. I clicked through the other military leaders at our disposal. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford any of their services, leaving me to put a unit of light infantry into production.

While I was at it, I checked the technology screen, where we could recruit scientists as well as focus research in five areas: infantry, cavalry, artillery, navy, and warfare. We hadn’t accumulated enough production points to recruit a scientist, but we had a focus point that I put into improving the fire discipline of our infantry. Napoleon seemed content to let me make that decision, after frantically pointing at the production screen while I had made the previous choice.

Ambition Never in a Greater Hurry Than You

After two turns, however, the Coalition forces were too much for the French, and history did indeed repeat itself. The man who had once terrorized much of Europe slapped his flimsy mattress in disgust and gazed out a window edged by the remnants of winter’s frost. In the distance, a British flag hung limp against a gray sky. Napoleon sighed and turned back to me.

I loaded the game’s main screen and selected a new scenario: the 1812 invasion of Russia, which lasts 19 turns. I unchecked “Scenario End Limit,” allowing us to play longer if necessary, and I selected the largest possible starting advantage for the French forces. While that campaign originally ended in a rout for Napoleon, signaling the beginning of his fall from power, perhaps it would conclude differently this time.

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System Requirements:

Mac OS X version 10.4
1.4GHz Intel processor (2GHz recommended)
512MB of RAM (1.5GB recommended)
300MB hard disk space

The Eight Campaigns

Commander: Napoleon at War can be played in the Grand Campaign, which lasts 169 turns spanning 1805 to 1815, or as one of seven scenarios that comprise the most important events from that timeline. You control France or the Allied Coalition, which includes Britain, Prussia, Austria, Russia, and other smaller nations, although not all of them may be involved in a given scenario. Other nations may also be drawn into a conflict as it unfolds and enter into an alliance with one side or the other.

When you conquer a major country, it becomes a vassal state, although it retains some forces that could revolt and rejoin the war. If a country under your control is in that situation, you will be offered several opportunities to revolt; it is wise to wait for the right one.

If a scenario is played without an end limit, victory is declared when one side is completely defeated. Otherwise, the side with the most victory points on the end date is the winner.

You can play against the computer or against a friend via a LAN, hot seat (taking turns at the same computer), play by email, or the Internet.

Grand Campaign: Begin with France’s struggle against the Third Coalition, whose main members were Great Britain, Austria, and Russia, and conclude, after 169 turns, with the last-gasp defense of France in 1814.
Prussian Blitz: After Austria’s defeat, Prussia joined the Allies in 1806, creating the Fourth Coalition. The war ended in 1807 with a French victory. You have 14 turns to make that happen or prevent Napoleon from winning.
Peninsular War: This six-year scenario, which begins in 1808, features France’s fight against Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula. 19 turns.
Campaign on the Danube: The War of the Fifth Coalition, as it was known, featured Napoleon’s last decisive victory, this time against the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom. Taking place in 1809 with the Danube River a key focal point, this scenario lasts 8 turns.
Invasion of Russia: Napoleon overreached with his 1812 strike on Russian soil, ending the year with his army in tatters. Harsh terrain, even harsher winter weather, and regular raids by Cossacks make this a challenge for the player in charge of the French forces. Can you change history in 19 turns?
Struggle of the Nations: In 1813, Napoleon managed to rebuild his army and fight a new coalition consisting of Russia and Prussia, although he eventually lost. Austria by this time was a French ally, but its loyalty was suspect. This scenario lasts 9 turns.
The Defense of France: Continuing from the end of the previous scenario, a coalition consisting of Prussia, Austria, Great Britain, and other allied forces, such as Russian Cossacks and Spanish troops, invaded France in 1814. See if you can prevent Napoleon’s eventual exile to the island of Elba, but you only have 6 turns to make that happen.
The Waterloo Campaign: Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815 for that infamous period of time known as The Hundred Days, which ended with his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. After Napoleon surrendered, he was sent to the island of Saint Helena, where he lived until his death in 1821. You have 5 turns to see if history will turn out differently.