It took a truly horrific defeat for me to knuckle down and attempt to break through Wargame: AirLand Battle's tough, uncaring exterior. I'd tossed aside the campaign, had one skirmish match under my belt, and I dived head-first into a 10 vs. 10 multiplayer battle where I was undoubtedly more of a hindrance than anything to my exasperated cohorts. 

I'd send out my jets -- the most significant addition to RTS since European Escalation -- only for them to explode and pepper the battlefield with debris. Then I'd call in my tanks and weep as they became engulfed in smoke and fire, blown to smithereens by previously invisible opponents. I pounded my fists and cursed my ineptitude, and all around the map my units were dying and wishing they had a better commander.

AirLand Battle is not a strategy title you can just dip your toes into, nor is it forgiving to those who are unprepared. Over 800 units from 12 different countries have been lovingly modelled and given abilities and statistics that are freakishly close to their real-world counterparts, and if you don't know how to use them effectively, you will not survive. I certainly didn't.