Come 1944, not only was Adolf Hitler losing his marbles, but he was also losing troops at an alarming rate with his maxim of "Not one step back", attempting to emulate Stalin's similar doctrine during the Battle of Moscow which saved Moscow and, quite probably, the Soviet Union. The thing poor Adolf didn't cop on to was that there are better ways to win wars than simply holding on to every scrap of dirt you have in your possession as if it were your capital; and much to the alarm of the German General Staff, this hard lesson was to be taught to the German Army once more around the small village of Korsun where the ravaged remains of Army Group Centre was to meet its demise.
SSI, working with the wargame powerhouse of Matrix Games, has brought this battle to us through the excellently detailed decisive battles engine, which simulates the entire battle at a regimental level of play. Naturally, a game at this level is not for the faint of heart, and a certain aptitude for, or at least knowledge of, military theory helps considerably when playing this one. The patience to read the large manual is also quite essential before you can even consider delving into the entire 40-something turn complete reiteration of the battle. Though, happily anyone with previous experience of a decisive battles game will be right at home here.
One also should not come to Korsun Pocket expecting wonderful graphics to tax an x850; it's top down, general staff counter and hexes stuff here, and if you are someone who gets turned off by this then Korsun Pocket probably isn't the game for you anyways; this is a grog wargame at heart and will not give much leeway to anyone other than someone who can quote von Mellenthin.
If you are one of these folks, or someone aspiring towards it then Korsun Pocket is damn near perfect; the AI alone shows more intelligence than most high-school graduates these days, and on both the attack and the defense it will make crafty use of terrain, ensure its supply situation remains in order and bring force to bear in true doctrinal style of the time. The AI also thinks long-term, which is refreshing for a wargame, for most AI opponents simply think a turn or two ahead at most - the AI in Korsun Pocket thinks at a more strategic level.
Of course if you'd prefer a real opponent, the game comes with the standard Play-by-Email function that's cleverly designed to allow you to make your turn and then send the file to your opponent, message and all, without having to leave the game - a feature we should see in every wargame featuring PBEM, in my long suffering opinion.
The campaign, which centres around the events in the Korsun Pocket itself, from creation to destruction, is infinitely replayable as either side, and the ability to focus in on particular aspects of the campaign (North or South flanking armies during the encircling action, for example) allows one to build up to the main game. Also included is a free bonus; a rehash of the old Decisive Battles classic, The Ardennes Offensive, basically providing a whole new campaign to go with the game.
Needless to say for a game from SSI there's a lot of numbers being thrown around under the bonnet with Korsun Pocket, and every move, every battle and every casualty is determined through immense calculations run almost entirely out of the sight of the beleaguered player who probably doesn't want a lesson in probability theories to go with his gaming - instead one is presented with fairly simple odds and numbers not above the level of an old board game, except the game utilises a lot more complex calculations than a four sided dice, of course.
In all, Korsun Pocket is a game for dedicated wargamers and try hard historians - anyone with the patience to learn the intricacies of this game will find it a brilliant tool to cut their teeth on some real wargaming action. Anyone else might be better off looking at something a little simpler.
Aaron McKenna is a freelance journalist and gaming addict, though happily enough the two seem to mix quite well. When not muttering to himself and banging the keyboard in the hopes of producing readable articles he can be found anywhere from the throne room of a Civilization, the cockpit of an F-22, the boots of a GI or the bridge of an Akula.
