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.

“Rise of the Zombies!” is a card game in which players must break through hordes of shambling undead to reach an evacuation helicopter, racing against the clock in a real-time race for survival. If the timer runs out, the chopper leaves.

“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.

The iOS game “Tank Battles of North Africa” offers a large number of scenarios, a variety of missions and three levels of difficulty for high replay value in a game that is easy to learn but has a strong “just one more turn” appeal.

“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.

The iOS game “Great Big War Game” from Rubicon Games rounds out the essentials of a turn-based combat game with little touches that add another layer of challenge, and is a lot of fun to play, though after awhile the weak AI takes away some of the joy.

“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.

The “Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures” game is easy to learn and has beautiful miniatures, but the rules could have used a little help from Yoda.

“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.

John Tiller’s games are accurate recreations of Civil War combat, and “Campaign Overland,” covering the 1864 duels between U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee, is no different. Unfortunately, neither are the 20-year-old graphics and sound.

“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.

“Scourge of War: Chancellorsville” offers PC gamers superlative graphics, a high level of realism and historical accuracy, and innovative game play, but it has a steep learning curve.

“John Tiller’s Napoleonic Battles: Campaign Bautzen” focuses on the 1813 battles around Bautzen and Lutzen, but also has scenarios from the Russo-Swedish Wars of 1808 – 1809.

An intuitive interface and brilliant AI make “Unity of Command: Red Turn” an excellent introduction to wargaming while providing plenty of depth for experienced gamers.