Poles, Brits and Canadians, along with SS and Luftwaffe jackboots storm the beaches of your PC in the ‘Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy Commonwealth Forces’ expansion that makes an exceptional strategy game even better.

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."

As a World War II buff and wargamer, I find the above quote corresponds well to how the Allies and Axis played …

A preview of more than a half-dozen games displayed at the Slitherine-Matrix Press Days 2012 that prove computer wargaming is alive, well and growing despite the lack of coverage in mainstream gaming media.

Sword of the Stars was a classic science fiction game; the same cannot be said for Sword of the Stars II: Lords of Winter.

‘Wargame: European Escalation’ puts gamers into a NATO – Warsaw Pact clash in the 1970s – 1980s, with over 300 units and great graphics.

The PC game ‘Crusader Kings II’ is really in a league of its own in strategy games. Its focus on dynastic survival requires different thinking and strategy than most strategy PC games do.

‘Close Combat: Last Stand Arnhem’ is more of a sequel to rather than a remake of 1997′s classic ‘Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far.’ There are lots of new missions and options, gameplay’s still superb, but the graphics are showing their age.

‘Operation Sealion,’ based on the hypothetical invasion of Britain by Nazi Germany in World War II, is the most challenging, innovative and enjoyable expansion so far in the ‘Battle Academy’ series.

A preliminary report on three new electronic games Kalypso Games has scheduled for 2012 release: ‘Tropico 4 – Modern Times,’ ‘Port Royale 3: Pirates & Merchants,’ and ‘Legends of Pegasus.’

Gamers who take ‘King Arthur II: Prologue’ for what it is – a fantasy game, not historical – will find the tactical possibilities engrossing and the maps gorgeous.

This preview of ‘Jagged Alliance: Back in Action’ says gamers familiar with its predecessor will find big changes, especially the designer’s decision to replace turn-based play with real-time action.

With a canny AI and streamlined UI, Victorian Admirals: Anthology is an intriguing addition to the catalog of Totem Games’ late-19th-century naval wargames, but it lacks the customization features of earlier titles in the series.

The second video tutorial by Lt. Col. (ret) Jeffrey Paulding for successful tactics in the “Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy” game tackles one of the most gut-wrenching types of missions: assaulting a fortified position.

The graphics in the “Unity of Command” PC game of the Eastern Front won’t win any beauty contests, but the game provides a great historical feel, good campaigns and a brutal AI to challenge players.

Skyrim, the latest game in the Elder Scrolls series, offers a mind-boggling degree of interaction with NPCs and objects, and even movie dragons don’t look as good as the ones in this PC game.

Playing World of Tanks but want more sizzle in the game? Check out some of these suggested mods. They range from soundpacks to new skins to aids for gamers who are color blind.