''Sid Meier's Antietam!'' is a real-time
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 ...
designed by
Sid Meier, the co-founder of
Firaxis Games
Firaxis Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Sparks, Maryland. The company was founded in May 1996 by Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds (game designer), Brian Reynolds following their departure from MicroProse, Meie ...
, then released in December 1999. It is the prequel to the 1997 ''
Sid Meier's Gettysburg!''.
Gameplay
The game allows the player to control either the
Confederate or
Union troops during the
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...
of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. It can be played as a single scenario, or as a campaign of linked scenarios, either recounting the original history or exploring alternate possibilities.
Development
The game was not released through retail stores. The staff of ''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...
'' summarized it as "a grand experiment by Firaxis to test the popularity of online-only distribution for commercial releases."
Reception
''Antietam!'' received "favorable" reviews according to the
review aggregation website
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
.
[
The game was a runner-up for '' Computer Games Strategy Plus'' 1999 "Wargame of the Year" award. The staff wrote, "Another battle, another victory for this thoroughly entertaining wargame 'for the masses.'"]
See also
* ''Battle of Antietam'' (video game)
References
External links
*
{{Firaxis
1999 video games
American Civil War video games
Battle of Antietam
Computer wargames
Firaxis Games games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Real-time tactics video games
Video game sequels
Antietam!
Video games developed in the United States
Windows games
Windows-only games