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Probably flogging a dead horse but seeing as this space is here going to use it a little more. I thought it might be good to look back and see what were the Classic Wargames on a computer that is.
Now for different age groups I suppose there would be different Classics but I can only talk about myself as I seem to be doing alot of lately
40 years old so memory is not what it was but for me I think Computer Wargamming began with two games Crusader in Europe and Empire Deluxe. I think both of these games are still played today Crusade was the Normandy invasion and I loved it. Could never get the Allies to win though no matter how many times I tried always ended up in the sea. Still suffering from that problem in a few of the Panzer Campaigns I've played recently. Empire was simple infantry armour bomber fighters and different sorts of ships Conquer the World now this I managed lots of Worlds acually because you could produce random maps the bigger the better.
I think after this the next three of what I would call classic wargames all came along around about the same time although my memory could be wrong. These were Path of Glory maybe I got that title wrong an American Civil Wargame I spent ages on. Politics as well in that one where you got to pick your cabinet and it affected loyalties in the various states.War In Russia which I think to this date still does the best at modelling the War on the Eastern Front on a grand scale only game I think I ever prefered playing the Russians perhaps it was because of a magazine article I read somewhere that told you how to play the Russians successfully although it seldom worked for me. Then Panzer General which the new CEAW so much resembles. Panzer General was like a puzzle trying to win each scenario as quickly as possible in game time so you got the best setup for your next task. Great game and I think the experience and unit honours made this unique in that you actually cared about your computer troops which I think is often overlooked in more recent titles. Not sure if I can think of too many more classics though Steel Panthers had alot of time on my computer and I remember a gettysburg game where the units were like Blue and Grey chalk lines but the game play was great I always lost that one in grey as well. Now of course the greatest Clasic of all for me anyway is Panzer Cmpaigns I wont say much on this it's popular enough and it's how I found the Blitz and PBEM and all you guys as well so it's done me the World of good but that's a wife and three daughters gone from when I first started with Crusader and Empire a lot of water under the bridge.
I know there's plenty of games I haven't mentioned but got to leave the rest of you something to talk or argue about like I said I been talking too much recently. But thanks for listening and feel free to mention a few games or memories of your own.
Cheers

My 1st ever PC game experience was with Armada 2525, a great game to sit around all weekend and drink beer and order out food while playing nonstop.
I then moved over to Second Front and Secret weapons of the Luftwaffe.. Went thru the SSI line up and loved the great naval battles line as well as carriers at war. I tried a few SSG games, the Perfect general series & the rest of QQPs games. I remember Global Conquest was the 1st great online multiplayer game over 2400 modem.. LOL
I played many a game of Empire PBEM and STILL have it on CD and play it once a year reminiscing the good old days
I played battles of Destiny, the whole Panzer general Series, quite a few version of romance of the 3 kingdoms and Sid's Gettysburg.

There were a few floppers tossed in the midst of some great old games that I wish I still had and could play.

My first computer game was Tigers on the Prowel by HPS, TOP2. The Steel Panthers series and Panzer Generals along with Empire Deluxe. You can still buy it over the internet some software company has revamped it.

My first so called strategic game was something like Operation Barbarossa played on Atari 65XE, covering only 1 year of war. But I don't remember the name of that game, sorry.
On PC platform I played War in Russia a lot, Harpoon, and V4V.
Besides, V4V is my 'was' classic, and still 'classic'.

Empire Deluxe and PG 1 that was the start of my computer wargame nightmare.......hehe

First computer game I am damned if I can remember the name but it postulated a Soviet move into Saudi Arabia / Kuwait / UAE and a US reaction in the very early 1980's. The game ran in DOS. I think--- not sure-- that it was an SSI game. A buddy and I took a huge old solid blue map from a submarine game I had on the shelf and drew in the map of the Persian Gulf by hand, then we scoured our various Avalon Hill games for counters, I recall using a lot of Arab-ISraeli Wars counters and some that we drew ourselves. The game was fun but predictable, the Soviets would land and go to town for 8-10 turns, then US air power and lack of Soviet re-supply would bog them down.

I wish I could remember the name. It was in the heyday of very basic but fun games in the early 1980s.

SSI games were my favourites. The first games I can remember were Gettysburg - The turning point and a Napoleonic game (Battles of Napoleon? Waterloo? Not sure, so long ago.)

My favourite game a long time ago was Panzer General. Just a couple of days ago I have found out that the game, as well as Allied General, People's General and the others are still alive! There are great mods (Napoleonic, ACW, WWI, WW2) for People's General and I am eager to play them all

If one of you Gentlemen is interested in a game let me know...

Tom

I believe the ssi Game was napoleons last battles and it had 4 maps that you could connect or play singly it was my first hex war game loved it played hours all by my self.ah those were the days

Well I surpose my first PC based wargame was Harpoon which was lots of fun.Me and my friend used to make scenarios for each other to play the one down fall was no PBEM.
Along with that was the original War in the Pacific a good game and with pbem made it possible to play each other. At the time we tried the Campaign series but the game kept on crashing .

Action Stations also is a very detailed game, the graphics are piss poor but the thought put into the gun fire and hit/ miss etc was very good.

It would be nice to see Matrix re make it , no PBEM again which is a bit of a pain


These were my first PC wargames .

Good question, but mighty hard to say when a "Computer game" experience begins. I suppose three lines and a handheld computer "football" game doesn't count. Same with the Atari tank "combat". A freind had an Intellevision unit and I remember, playing (Utopia?) a game which was a bit like a crude civilization--very different, but I don't know what to compare it with. But you where building up a nation, and waiting for Hurricanes. A starr trek game on the VAX also I can remember from roughly when I was in High School--(early 1980's).
But first real game I can remember.......Ram!!! Not sure if I would consider it a classic, however (it did I think come of a real floppy disk so it must be pretty old). I think Gettysburg was pretty close to the same time--I liked it--good thing I didn't have much knowledge of pbem at the time--or many people close by with similar interest. tyhpoon, War in Russia, came much later I think if your talking about the same game I remember. Wish I could find that hard flopy disk so I could play it again. As for "classics" I can still play....."Birth of the Federation" is great, even with the annoying bugs that sometimes come out to play.
Mike
Mike