Gary Grigsby's World At War demo for Windows

Despite embarrassing combat sequences, this turn-based game is a good attempt to bridge the gap between extremely complex war games and point-and-click diversions. Explosions and realistic gunfire sounds are not big concerns for the developers, but WWII warfare is. The global battleground includes 365 contestable land areas and 15 types of combat units. Although the demo only lets you play four turns of a real campaign, the two tutorials and the associated materials work as a good preview.

Covering the period between 1940 and 1946, the full game lets you control one of five superpowers: Western Allies, Germany, Japan, Russia, or China. (Unfortunately, the demo makes you plays as the nasty Nazis.) Gameplay consists of two phases: movement and production. You'll transport soldiers, position ships, and launch air attacks during Movement, then research technology, build factories, and purchase equipment during Production. The Production phase can be completely automated or painstakingly scheduled, which should appeal to both micromanagers and coffee-break gamers.

GG's World At War certainly seems adapted from a board game, but then you realize the board would have to be 15-feet wide to fit all the armories, factories, and soldiers. Documentation is excellent, or at least prolific. The 126-page PDF manual is a great way to learn all about the details of the game.