''North vs. South: The Great American Civil War'' is a 1999

computer wargame A computer wargame is a wargame played on a digital device. Descended from board wargaming, it simulates military conflict at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Computer wargames are both sold commercially for recreational use an ...

developed by Erudite Software and published by

Interactive Magic IEntertainment Network (IENT, stylized as iEntertainment Network and formerly known as Interactive Magic, iMagic, and iMagiconline) is an American video game company founded by Bill Stealey, the co-founder and former CEO of MicroProse Software, i ...

Gameplay

Development

Origins

Following the March 1998 release of developer Erudite Software's ''

The Great Battles of Caesar ''The Great Battles of Caesar'' is 1998 computer wargame developed by Erudite Software and published by Interactive Magic. Based on the board wargame '' The Great Battles of Julius Caesar'', it is the third and final entry in the '' Great Battles ...

'', rumors spread inside the game industry that publisher

intended to reuse the '' Great Battles''

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...

for another project. Speculation arose initially that it would take place in

feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to Japanese Paleolithic, prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millenni ...

. In June, this new game was revealed under the tentative title ''Rally Round the Flag'', under development again by Erudite. Designed by S. Craig Taylor, who had produced the ''Great Battles'' series and designed the

board wargame A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The modern, commercial wargaming hobby (as distinct from military exercises, o ...

Wooden Ships and Iron Men ''Wooden Ships and Iron Men'' is a naval board wargame simulating naval combat during the Age of Sail that was published by Battleline Publications in 1974, then revised and republished by Avalon Hill the following year. Name The name should ...

'', the game was announced as a Civil War-era computer wargame with a release date of October 1998. Despite using an upgraded version of ''Great Battles'' technology, the game could not be marketed under the series' name for legal reasons: while Erudite's earlier titles were adaptations of

GMT Games GMT Games is a California-based wargaming publisher founded in 1990. The company has become well known for graphically attractive games that range from "monster games", of many maps and counters, to quite simple games suitable for introducing new ...

board products, ''Rally'' was not. In early July, ''Rally Round the Flag'' was renamed ''North vs. South: The Eastern Campaigns of the Civil War''.

Production

Erudite created only the art and code for ''North vs. South''; Interactive Magic researched, designed and published the game. Although Taylor was a Civil War history enthusiast, and had worked on eight physical games set during the period, ''North vs. South'' was his first return to the topic since designing the 1988 version of '' Gettysburg''.

Reception

CNET Gamecenter rated the game 8/10, and Computer Gaming World gave it a 2 and a half star rating.

References

{{Interactive Magic 1999 video games American Civil War video games Computer wargames Erudite Software games IEntertainment Network games Video games developed in the United States Windows games Windows-only games