Front Lines is a tactical wargame of the “near” future (set in 2020 or 2044,
depending on whether you play the U. S. or German version). It can run in
either single-player or two-player mode, and can use a head-to-head feature by
modem. All the usual forces of the modern army are present, but by this time
heavy laser weapons have become practical, soldiers wear powered armor,
unmanned ground strike aircraft are common, tanks can hover as well as roll,
and artillery projectiles are even more powerful and accurate than they are
today.

You command your army, which may incorporate some U. S. forces, in the
European theater. Some of the opposing forces answer to a corporate
conglomerate. The roles of offensive, defensive, and supply assets have to
balanced properly. The game progresses through a series of land battles over
various kinds of terrain — and the terrain gives varying combinations of
advantages and disadvantages. The game has some limited representation of
Europe’s real-world geographical features, which gives a sense of why they are
militarily important. For example, you can see the importance of the Fulda
Gap, just as it was important in previous World Wars, and just as it would
have been important if the Cold War had become hot.

Each battle has one or more objectives, and also a time limit. To win, you
must accomplish your objectives while stopping the enemy from accomplishing
his, and you must do this before time runs out. Each objective accomplished
earns you a certain number of victory points. At the battle’s end, the winner
is the player with the most victory points.

Front Lines