Combat! Vol. 1

I recently picked up Combat! Vol. 1 and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it. It's a solitaire game focusing on man-to-man combat in the 20th century, and it's surprisingly engaging. You control the friendly forces and try to complete scenarios against enemy forces that are controlled by the game system. The real heart of the game lies in the initiative system. You play cards to determine your units' initiative, but the enemy gets their orders AFTER you've given your orders. This means that even the best-laid plans can be thrown out the window in a heartbeat.

I found myself getting surprised by the enemy AI quite often, which is a great sign of a good game. The AI can really catch you out if you're not playing smart, so you always have to be on your toes. The game has a lot of replayability, with multiple maps and nearly 800 counters. There's a lot to learn and master here, and I can see myself playing this for years to come.

I was a bit hesitant at first because I'd heard about a counter printing problem in the first copies, but I'm happy to report that the copy I got had no such issues. It seems the problem has been fixed. If you're looking for a good solitaire game with lots of depth and unpredictability, I highly recommend giving Combat! Vol. 1 a try.