Crusade in Europe

The first of the Command Series of tactical wargames released by MicroProse in
the mid-1980s, Crusade in Europe is the descendant of Meier’s first wargame,
NATO Commander. Sid Meier and Ed Bever, Ph.D., collaborated on Crusade’s
design, which (along with the game’s manual) shows an enormous amount of
research and attention to historical detail.

As the title suggests, the game’s focus is the European Theater of World War
II in 1944-45, and the Normandy Invasion in particular. Although there are
only five scenarios, each can be customized through multiple variants (with
different initial deployments and reinforcement schedules) and levels of
difficulty. Another nice feature is the ability to play using either
traditional boardgame symbols or unit icons. Both sides (Allied and Axis) can
be played, and two players can play head-to-head in hotseat mode.