The original Advance Wars distinguished itself as one of the most complex and sophisticated titles on the Game Boy Advance (GBA) by bravely doing something few other carts have dared to do: it rewarded gamers for their intelligence and careful observation instead of their digital dexterity.

Advance Wars is a meld of two differing strategy genres. First are the turn-based strategy games, like Civilization. Second are the real-time strategy (RTS) games like Warcraft. Like both genres, Advance Wars centers on the production of military units and battling your enemies. Unlike the god-games, there is nothing to manage aside from military units, and even their production is extremely simple. This is a straight-up military simulation, and it can be nice to concentrate on simply outsmarting your opponent rather than trying to figure out a research tree. Unlike Warcraft and other RTS games, Advance Wars moves along in a series of discrete turns, making for a more relaxing and contemplative experience than is possible when the main concern is scrambling to pump out troops and build up the base.

Much like Thom, Advance Wars reminds me of many games I've played in the past, but none on the PC. A couple of classic console names that come to mind are Military Madness and Shining Force, as well as more recent efforts like Vandal Hearts or even Final Fantasy Tactics to a certain extent. Replace the medieval fantasy characters with planes and tanks, and you're basically set.