When I first played Operation Europe years ago, I never expected what joy I could get from a single turn based strategy game(not to mention what I could learn from it either). Operation Europe was Koei's take on the European theater of World War 2. The game consists of 6 scenarios or campaigns that are based on actual conflicts from the European theater. They are, in order, 1) 1940: Invasion of France(France), 2) 1942: North Africa(Libya), 3) 1943: Kursk(Ukraine), 4) 1944: Normandy(France), 5) 1944: Battle of the Bulge(Belgium), and 6) 1945: Fight for Berlin(Germany). Within each conflict you can take the reigns of the Axis Forces, Allied Forces or both. After re-acquainting with the game here on Vizzed, I decided to give my review of it.

Overall: 8.5. I can't justify giving any game a perfect 10 except for a select few that I can count on one hand. OE(my shorthanded acronym for Operation Europe), just happens to not be one of those games. Never the less, an 8.5 rating is still pretty good for ANY game and OE is a pretty good game for those who like turn based strategy games. If your into fast paced instant action, this game is NOT for you and while the AI isn't the greatest(they're rather predictable and frankly stupid), this is the game for you if you enjoy blowing up Tiger Tanks or unleashing Blitzkrieg across Europe.Graphics: 8. I gave OE an 8 on Graphics because I thought the developers did an excellent job in designing and animating the various tanks, artillery pieces and other instruments of war(be it in the info page or on the open battlefield). On the flip side though, I thought the developers could have done more with the scenery or environment/terrain the armies move around on. It almost seems they put their eggs into one basket.Sound: 7. I gave OE a 7 on Sound because while each scenario and the opening have their very own unique theme, they can get pretty annoying after awhile since they not only repeat in an endless loop but some of the scenario themes are unappealing or downright bad. I found the music theme for scenario 3(Battle at Kursk) to be the worst. Hence, I usually turn the music off just so I can focus on playing the game. Additionally, the developers made little effort in distinguishing between a Sherman tank firing a round and a Tiger Tank firing a round. The difference between a 75mm Sherman round and a 88mm Tiger round is significant but is not apparent in the game.Addictiveness: 9. OE got a 9 when it comes to Addictiveness since there are 6 scenarios to choose from. Within each of these 6 scenarios, you can choose to play as Axis(Germany for the most part, although Italy happens to be in one of them) or Allied Forces(primarily Russia, USA and Britain(France makes its lone appearance in the first scenario)). Hence there are at least 12 campaigns right off the bat and that is not counting all the various strategies one can try in a scenario(such as destroying enemy units using nothing but Long-Range Artillery for example). The reason it didn't get a perfect 10 from me however is that after you've played the game enough, it can become rather repetitive since the AI doesn't really change things up and there is no way to alter the AI's behavior or difficulty(hence it is easy to anticipate what they're going to do if you play it enough).Story: 6. Lets face it. There is no creative or fictional story to take your mind to a different realm in OE. In fact, this game is based on actual historical events. Hence, the story lies in the brief introduction to each of the game's 6 scenarios. Additional background or story information can be found among the various officers that took part in the scenarios in the game. For example, one can learn about George S. Patton and how he led the invasion of Sicily and later the breakout push in France(he also helped save Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge). Another example is Erwin Rommel, aka the "Desert Fox" and how he led the German Afrika(Africa) Corp before being re-assigned to handle the defense of France. He later committed suicide after being implicated in the bomb plot on Hitler. The scenario introductions, combined with the officer dossiers is why I gave OE a 6 in the Story department. Depth: 9. OE got a 9 from me since there are 6 scenarios with each one having 2 sides to play respectively. Each campaign can take as little as 24 hours in-game time to as much a few weeks. How long is usually based on how aggressive, how successful you are in battle and the strategies one utilizes to play each scenario. If there was anything I disliked about it was that they could have had done so much more in terms of scenarios to play. Like for example, they could have had Stalingrad, Dunkirk, Sicily, Italy(Anzio), Operation Torch(USA invades North Africa) and Operation Market Garden(USA/British push into Netherlands). SNES cartridges, however, can only hold so much so I can understand why they limited it to six.Difficulty: 3. For a turn based strategy game, OE is surprisingly easy to learn and play. Once you understand what the 5 Officer traits(Leadership, Charm/Charisma, Infantry, Artillery, Tank) have on unit and divisional performance(higher the number, the better off you will be basically) makes this game a cakewalk. Its easily a game anyone can pick up and play, although some scenarios are easier than others(Good luck playing as the French).To conclude, OE was the first strategy game I played on the SNES and although its not glamorous or flashy, its a decent historical simulation of famous battles of World War 2. Hence, if your into playing turn based strategy games, I strongly encourage you to give Operation Europe a try.