“Fox’s Gambit” is a low-complexity board game of the Battle of Gazala, May-June 1942, that can be played in about three hours.

The board game “Bloody April: Air War over Arras, France, 1917″ is unusual. Instead of the one-on-one air battles found in most WWI aerial games, it pits flights of multiple aircraft against each other in the skies over France in 1917.

The second edition of Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! boardgame introduces new units, such as flamethrower tanks, brings the rules up to date with other games in the series, and comes in a redesigned box that is great for storing the components.

“Bushido Denied,” a boardgame of the defense of the Philippines against Japanese invasion in 1941-42, is actually two games in one: the defense of Bataan and the defense of Corregidor, which can be combined into a single game.

The “Axis & Allies World War I 1914″ game shares some common mechanics with its World War II predecessor, but with a number of twists to reflect the situation nations faced in the Great War. It’s a game, not a history lesson, but players will often find themselves forced into the costly frontal assaults that characterized that war.

GMT’s “Commands & Colors Napoleonics: Russian Army” expansion features 20 battles, from the 1806 battle over Poland at Czarnowo to Napoleon’s twilight, Craonne, in 1814.

“Death Before Dishonor – The Battle of Santiago Bay” has unexpected depth and requires a number of tactical decisions be made by the player. At a price of $5.95, it will take gamers back to the days of Yaquinto’s inexpensive Album games.

“Blood and Sand” is a boardgame of the campaigns in North Africa during World War II. Easy to learn – “bucket o’ dice” rules replace combat results charts – it is suitable for new games but with enough depth to satisfy grognards.

The boardgame “Mercury-Market Garden” examines two airborne operations of World War II – the German air assault on Crete and the Allied attempt to seize bridges over the Rhine in Holland.

“Field Commander Napoleon” from DVG is highly addictive. It offers 11 different campaigns that can be linked to cover Napoleon’s entire career. Programmed actions by Napoleon’s opponents provide for solitaire play.

“Andean Abyss” is an unusual game that simulates quite effectively a chaotic and fluid war in South America, and it does it in less than 10 pages of rules. It minimizes luck, but players have to rely on adapting to the changing politics.

“Naval War of 1812″ abstracts the actions of that war between warships and merchant vessels. Fast, fun and easy to learn, it is great for new players, though gamers looking for more of a simulation of the era won’t find it here.

“StelCon: Infinity,” a boardgame of exploration and combat in outer space, is innovative, with sturdy maps and playing pieces, but card draws can unbalance play at times.

“Mr. Madison’s War: The Incredible War of 1812″ from GMT is a quick-playing, faithful simulation of the period, and the rules don’t get in the way.

“Saints in Armor,” a GMT boardgame covering six battles of the 30 Years War, is not for beginners or the casual player, but experienced gamers will find it delivers an involving and satisfying experience.

“1812 The Invasion of Canada” is an easy-to-learn boardgame with strategic depth. It is the first in Academy Games’ new “Birth of American” series.