Best fighting games on PC Archives

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The Ultimate Strategy Archives may not contain every great strategy game ever made, but it still represents a good overall gaming value. The most surprising thing about this package is that the oldest games (Civilization and Railroad Tycoon Deluxe) are still a great deal of fun to play.

Don't even attempt to try Civilization unless you have an enormous block of free time, because this fun, addictive game of global colonization and cultural development still has the frightening ability to occupy hours of your life before you've noticed.

Railroad Tycoon Deluxe isn't quite as addictive, but if you can get past the dated graphics you'll find an incredibly fun and detailed business simulation of the great American rail wars of the 19th and 20th centuries.

X-Com: UFO Defense is another older title that never ceases to entertain. It's X-Files with a decidedly military twist. You must financially manage your base, intercept marauding alien ships, and then guide your ground troops through turn-based battles to recover bits of alien technology you'll then need to research in order to win the game. All the elements come together seamlessly, and X-Com is deservedly regarded as one of the all-time greats.

Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games uses a similarly detailed turn-based combat model, only this time you lead modern-day mercenaries through tough campaigns.

Heroes of Might and Magic is a challenging (and addictive) strategy game with a tactical combat model set in the popular fantasy universe of Might and Magic.

We really enjoyed M.A.X., a turn-based tactical combat game that plays like chess on steroids.

Conquest of the New World Deluxe also stands as one of the better games in this package, with good graphics, a fun diplomacy aspect, and plenty of exploration and combat to keep players busy.

The only letdown in this bundle also happened to be the only real-time strategy game, Dark Colony. With drab graphics and no memorable gameplay elements, the title didn't spend too much time on our hard drive. The others, however, have found a permanent new home. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Really does contain a lot of fun strategy games
• Gives players a chance to experience the original Civilization--one of the best computer games of all time

• Dated graphics on some of the older games can be a turnoff