CONFLICT: MIDDLE EAST

 CONFLICT: MIDDLE EAST (CME) from SSI pits the Israelis against the Arabs. It
is historically accurate in scope, since Jordan is present but not
participating. There are two basic scenario choices: historical 1973 and
hypothetical 199?. (This review is based on the IBM version.)

 CME is a basic war game. Movement is still based on hexes. Units are given
movement allowances and, depending on unit type and terrain, units can move
to the maximum distance listed. Sometimes, however, slight inconsistencies
appear. For example, an artillery unit has a movement of 12 as does the Mech
Infantry unit stacked with it. You move the Infantry unit on a road 12 hexes.
You then move the artillery unit on the same road and it will only go 11
hexes. There is no obvious answer in the manual as to why this occurs.

 Combat is straightforward: You stack up to two units in a hex; surround an
enemy unit/stack if you can; and bring your artillery to within three hexes
of the target hex. In turn, the computer opponent brings anything and
everything to bear on your units. Attack/defend points are calculated and a
"die" is rolled. Combat between units is accompanied by units having
explosions on top of its icon and sound effects.

 Combat results are pure board game: You kill your opponent(s), they kill
you; they retreat, you retreat; or nothing happens. Combat Strength values
are deducted from the units involved, if they aren't killed outright.
Eventually, the units run out of value and die. What is interesting is that
the player can combine units into "super" units, at a penalty of decreasing
combat readiness. This is the only way around the arbitrary two-unit stacking
limit. There are limitations, however: You cannot add an unlimited number of
dissimilar units, say, two different APCs, tanks, or artillery. But you can
strip out artillery from a mechanized brigade and add more tanks or infantry.

 The player can (and should) assign tactical air missions: Strike,
Interdiction, Close Air Support, and Air Superiority. The Israelis have
better equipment and pilots; the Arabs, more of both. The manual suggests
that you concentrate in the early days on SAM suppression and Interdiction
missions, then on Airfield attacks and Interdiction, until you control the
air. Then, if you last that long, your remaining a/c have only to deal with
the organic SAM/AAA of the ground units you attack. I have several problems
with the combat results in the air campaign; the Arabs seem just too good at
any level above pushover. But this may be only an "interface" problem rather
than a mathematical problem. It just seems that the Arab AFs survive too long
under prolonged airfield assault.

 CME for the IBM comes on one 5-1/4" disk, and is installed on a hard drive
by typing: A:\Install. For those who have a 3-1/2" drive as your A:, CME will
load from your B: drive. Installation is simple and straightforward. It takes
approximately three to four minutes to load on a 20MHz 386 machine.

 CME's manual is 42 pages plus cover, and is required for an "ownership"
check at the start of each game: You must type in the appropriate word from
the manual. The booklet is divided into: six chapters of rules; four chapters
of notes on such things as solitaire and two-player play; scenario and
victory conditions; and Player and Designer notes. There are also six
appendices covering Icons, Equipment Descriptions, 1975 order of battle and
appearance, 199? order of battle and appearance, a list of abbreviations, and
the formulae used to resolve combat. The chapters on loading and starting the
game are for the Amiga as well as MS-DOS versions. Commands given here refer
to the IBM version, if there is a difference.

 CME is controlled by either the keyboard and a mouse (if available). The
interface is straightforward, though there are one or two places where a
little more (or even less) color would make a beginner's life easier. It is
difficult to differentiate between choices on the main menu bar. The graphics
are nothing out of the ordinary, typical of past SSI offerings.

 CONFLICT: MIDDLE EAST is a fun game, and can hold your attention. At the
higher levels, CME is a real challenge and is a good value. However, it is
_not_ "the" Middle East game, so experienced players and students of the
period and/or area should take a very close look at this program before
buying.

 CONFLICT: MIDDLE EAST is published and distributed by Strategic Simulations,
Inc.