Definition: Ex ante is latin for “beforehand”. In models where there is uncertainty that is resolved during the course of events, the ex antes values (e.g. of expected gain) are those that are calculated in advance of the resolution of uncertainty. (Econterms)
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BERLIN Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says U.S. troops should leave Iraq “as soon as possible,” according to a magazine report, and he called presidential candidate Barack Obama’s suggestion of 16 months “the right timeframe for a withdrawal.”
In Baghdad, however, the chief spokesman for al-Maliki issued a statement Sunday saying the prime minister’s comments were “not conveyed accurately” by Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine.
Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said al-Maliki did not endorse a specific timetable but instead discussed a “an Iraqi vision” of U.S. troop withdrawals based on negotiations with Washington and “and in the light of the continuing positive developments on the ground.”
The Der Spiegel article, released Saturday, quoted al-Maliki as giving apparent backing to the withdrawal plans discussed by Obama - the Illinois senator and likely Democratic nominee has pledged to withdraw combat troops from Iraq within 16 months if he is elected.
“That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,” al-Maliki was quoted as saying. “Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of U.S. troops in Iraq would cause problems.”
Asked when U.S. forces would leave Iraq, he responded, “As soon as possible, as far a we’re concerned.”
In the interview, al-Maliki said he was not seeking to endorse Obama.
Sadiq al-Rikabi, an adviser to al-Maliki, said later that Iraqi officials do not intend to be “part of the electoral campaign in the United States.”
“We will deal with any administration that comes to power,” he said.
White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Saturday: “In the interview, the Prime Minister made clear that any decision will be based on continuing positive developments - as he and the president both did in their joint statement yesterday. It is our shared view that should the recent security gains continue, we will be able to meet our joint aspirational time horizons.”
On Friday, the White House announced that President Bush and al-Maliki had agreed to set a “general time horizon” for bringing more U.S. troops home from the war.
Obama’s Republican presidential rival, John McCain, has supported Bush administration policy opposing a set timetable for taking troops out of Iraq.
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Films and DVDs: 2000-2004 Filme aus Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz
Das Wunder von Bern (2003)
This German film is available
on DVD (Region 2, PAL).
Read my review.
You are here:
German Movies > 2005-06 > 2000-2004 > 1997-99 > Index
Also see: Reviews of German Movies and German DVDs and Videos (Top Picks)
This page is part of our guide to German-language films from 1997 to now, plus German film classics from earlier years. Also see: Best German Films for German-Learners, German Movie Index, German Movies on DVD, and German Movies: Introduction.
GERMAN MOVIE GUIDE
German-Language Films on DVD and Video
Films in German: 2000-2004
Alphabetical Index of German films
Abbreviations Used:
A Austria, CH Switzerland, D Germany
NTSC U.S. TV/video standard
PAL German TV/video standard
NOTE: Not all films listed, even older ones, are available on DVD/video. German DVDs are Region Code 2/PAL and will not play on a normal North American Region Code 1 DVD player. For more about playing German DVDs in North America, see our DVD Guide.
To buy the German (PAL, Region 2) versions of many of the films below, see the German-Hollywood DVD Store.
2004 Films and DVDs
(2004) stars
Moritz Bleibtreu ().
On DVD (Region 1 or 2)
Agnes und seine Brüder (D, )
DVD: Compare Prices (Region 1, US NTSC)
“Freud filtered through Fassbinder” is one critic’s comment about this German film about Agnes, a transsexual, his two brothers and an eccentric father. Sex addict Hans-Jörg (Moritz Bleibtreu, , ) can’t stop spying on women, but has little real success with them. His father, Werner, a successful politician, has a bored wife and a weird family. And that’s just the start of this bizarre tale.
Downfall - See below.
Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei (D, )
DVD: Compare Prices (Region 1, US NTSC)
DVD: Region 2, PAL DVD from the German-Hollywood DVD Store
Director: Hans Weingartner. (English title) stars Daniel Brühl (Good-Bye Lenin and Vaya con Dios), Julia Jentsch () and Stipe Erceg in a tale of two young men who invade homes — not to steal, but to send a message. But their break-in for girlfriend Jule (Jentsch) doesn’t go as planned and turns into a kidnapping. See the review by Jürgen Fauth (World Film Guide).
Heimat 3 - Chronik einer Zeitenwende (D)
Director Edgar Reitz has produced a new third part of what is now his trilogy, an award-winning film/TV series that chronicles several generations of a German family. (NOTE: The is now available on Region 1 DVD!) (six episodes) is not just a sequel to the first two parts, but is described as “a narrative inventory of the century in its final decade,” including the opening of the Berlin Wall. first appeared in 1984 and was highly praised. The second part () came out in the early 1990s. was filmed at a variety of locations in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. The trilogy’s popularity stems in part from its collective remembrances of recent German history and events that most Germans have experienced themselves in some way. Cast: Salome Kammer, Henry Arnold, Michael Keusch, Matthias Kniesbeck. - Reitz has also published a book version of all three films: “Die Heimat Trilogie” (Heyne, Munich; 592 Seiten; 128 Euro)
NOTE: All three segments of the trilogy are now on DVD and available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store
WEB > Heimat 3 - Film Site (German)
Die Nibelungen - Der Fluch des Drachen (D TV, 2004, )
Director: Uli Edel. This German made-for-TV movie is based on the classic Germanic legend (think Wagnerian opera and the “Ring” cycle). First filmed in the silent era by Fritz Lang, this new film version stars the German Benno Fürmann as Siegfried, Norwegian-American Kristanna Loken as Brunnhild, and American Alicia Witt () as Kriemhild. WEB > Ring of the Nibelungs - IMDb
DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Rosenstraße (D, US DVD release 2005)
Director: Margarethe von Trotta. This German drama staring Katja Riemann tells the true story of a 1943 Berlin uprising against the Nazis in 1943. The “Rosenstraße” title refers to the Berlin street where a Jewish detention center was located. A group of non-Jewish women who had Jewish husbands staged a desperate rebellion in front of the detention center that held their loved ones. - This film (PG-13) played in L.A., New York City, and a few other US cities. It is available on Region 1 DVD. You can read a full review by Marcy Dermansky, one of About’s two World Film Guides. WEB > Official Site (USA)
(T)Raumschiff Surprise (D)
Director: Michael Herbig. This German comedy hit is based on a series of Star Trek parodies done on German TV by the comedy team of Michael “Bully” Herbig, Christian Tranitz, and Rick Kavanian. German star Til Schweiger joins the cast for the movie version. (Their “Bullyparade” was a sort of German “Saturday Night Live” television hit.) The 20 “(T)Raumschiff” skits have now been turned into a full-length feature film. This movie also has the honor of being the first German film to be pirated within days of its theater release (22 July 2004). From the makers of Der Schuh des Manitu (2001). WEB > Official Film Site (German)
DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Der Untergang (D, )
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel. Swiss actor Bruno Ganz () is Hitler in his final days in Berlin. This German film on a very touchy German subject caused quite a stir in its homeland. The film, with an all-star German cast, is based on the non-fiction bestseller by Joachim Fest and the memoirs of Hitler’s secretary, Traudl Junge (Blind Spot). Opened Sept. 16, 2004 in Germany. A subtitled US release had a brief run in 2005. Now available on Region 1 DVD (as ).
The German tragicomedy Good Bye Lenin! (2003) was
directed by Wolfgang Becker and stars Daniel Brühl
as a young man who must recreate the DDR. > More
2003 Films and DVDs
Das Wunder von Bern (D)
Director: Wolfgang Becker. The “miracle of Bern” refers to Germany’s win over Hungary during the world championship soccer games of 1954. The surprise win over favored Hungary meant far more than a mere soccer victory for a Germany that was still recovering from the psychological and physical damage wrought by a world war, and trying to regain its self-esteem. Read my full review of this film/DVD.
Good Bye Lenin! (D)
Director: Wolfgang Becker. This film had its debut at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival in February and had a good run in German and even UK cinemas. It tells the story of a son whose mother awakes from a coma and his desperate efforts to protect her weakened heart from the shock of the victory of capitalism and the fact that she slept through the fall of the Wall. Most critics and audiences seemed to like it. - DVD/E: Compare Prices for this DVD. See our full review.
Das fliegende Klassenzimmer (D)
Director: Tomy Wigand. This update of Erich Kästner’s classic “Flying Classroom” story is the third film version. Filmed in Leipzig and Munich, the newest movie was released in January 2003. Earlier German versions appeared in 1954 and 1973.
2002 Films and DVDs
Bibi Blocksberg (D)
Director: Hermine Huntgeburth. Released in early October, this was a big hit with audiences. The stories about a young witch became popular on audio cassettes and have now been translated to the screen. Stars the well known German actress Katja Riemann with the young newcomer Sidonie von Krosigk as Bibi.
Bungalow (D)
Director: Ulrich Köhler. Paul (Lennie Baumeister) deserts from the German army on the spur of the moment and heads home to his parents’ bungalow. His attempts to mull over his future are disrupted by the arrival of his brother Max and his Danish girlfriend - and the military police.
Im toten Winkel: Hitlers Sekretärin (A)
Director: André Heller. English title: BLIND SPOT: HITLER’S SECRETARY. An unadorned but revealing documentary interview with Traudl Junge, once Hitler’s secretary. On DVD in Germany and the U.S. See our full review.
Nackt (D)
Director: Doris Dörrie. This relationship film by the well-known director Dörrie met with mixed reviews. Three couples meet for dinner and bare all — including their souls. Does “Naked” measure up to her earlier comedies ()? See our full review. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Vaya con Dios (D)
Director: Zoltan Spirendelli. Three monks and a girl in a romantic road movie? Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. See our full review.
Also see > Best German Films for German-Learners
German Movie Reviews
Full reviews of feature films and DVDs for German by your Guide.
See information about
this 2001 film below.
2001 Films and DVDs
Bellaria - Solange wir leben! (A, D)
Director: Douglas Wolfsperger. English title: BELLARIA - AS LONG AS WE LIVE! “There is a small, inconspicuous cinema [named the Bellaria] in a small side-street in Vienna that seems to have stood still with time. A group of old Ufa film fans meet there on a regular basis, where for a few Schilling they are whisked back to their youth… The documentary is a discovery trip to a place with morbid charm and portrays the colorful life stories of its comical and eccentric regular guests. Little by little, the film uncovers their true desires: to stop the wheel of time for just a few moments…” - from German Cinema. Featured at the 2003 ‘Berlin & Beyond’ Film Festival in San Francisco in January. - See our full review.
Bella Martha (D, aka “Fünf Sterne”)
Director: Sandra Nettelbeck. This bittersweet film (English title: “Mostly Martha”) linking food and love a la or was a sleeper hit in Germany and has won several foreign film awards. Set in a ritzy French restaurant in Hamburg, Nettelbeck’s first film has been appearing in cinemas around the globe. It tells the story of Martha (Martina Gedeck), whose entire life revolves around cooking. But her life gets turned upside down by events inside and outside the restaurant where she is head chef. - WEB: QuickTime Trailer of “Mostly Martha” from Paramount Classics; Bella Martha (official German site); Mostly Martha (official Paramount site); Review: Mostly Martha from About’s World Film Guide Marcy Dermansky. Unlike most critics, she doesn’t like “Martha”!
DVD/E: “Mostly Martha” - Compare Prices
Black Box BRD (D, TV)
Director: Andres Veiel. A film about the true story of Wolfgang Grams and Alfred Herrhausen, who only had one thing in common: they were both killed by the RAF violence in the Federal Republic of Germany (BRD) in the 1970s and ’80s. At that time the country was polarized by a power struggle between the German state and the “Red Army Faction.” - WEB: Black Box BRD (official site)
Emil und die Detektive (D)
Director: Franziska Buch. English title: Emil and the Detectives. Erich Kästner’s children’s stories have been the source of many movies — in Germany, England and Hollywood. (The newest: Das fliegende Klassenzimmer.) This German screen update of a Kästner story first filmed in 1931 (and by Disney in 1964) tells the story of a boy who joins with newfound friends to get his revenge on the bad guy who picked his pocket during a train trip to the big city (Berlin). See our full review. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Das Experiment (D)
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel. Based on the Stanford Prison Experiment, in which normal people are put in a prison environment for two weeks to see just what will happen. Moritz Bleibtreu (”Lola rennt”) plays one of the actors playing a prisoner and incites sadistic violence between guards and prisoners. - WEB: Das Experiment (official German site, with trailers); The Experiment (official U.S. site, with trailers).
Der Felsen (D)
Director: Dominik Graf. English title: A MAP OF THE HEART. A thriller drama narrated by an unseen woman (Jeanette Hain). Stars Antonio Wannek and Karoline Eichhorn (as Katrin). Shot in a rather gritty-looking video format.
Halbe Treppe (D)
English title: Grill Point. Director: Andreas Dresen. The tale of two friendly couples in the East German town of Frankfurt/Oder. They’re set in their ways, with nowhere to go. Radio host Chris and his second wife Katrin don’t have much to say to each other anymore. Uwe, his friend, slaves away day and night at work, but forgets his wife and kids. Small wonder that a bit of hanky panky soon leads to some surprises. See our full review. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Herz im Kopf (D)
Director: Michael Gutmann. English title: HEART OVER HEAD. Two young people, the German Jakob (Tom Schilling) and the Polish au pair Wanda (Alicja Bachleda-Curus), deal with obstacles to their budding love in a Frankfurt suburb.
Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song (D)
Director: J. David Riva. This documentary, directed by Dietrich’s grandson, focuses on her activities during the Second World War up to her 1960 return to Germany. In English and German, the 100-minute film was sponsored by the Filmboard Brandenburg Berlin. - DVD/E: Compare prices - Dietrich DVD
Mostly Martha (D) - See “Bella Martha” above.
Nirgendwo in Afrika (D)
Director: Caroline Link. This German film, which won an Oscar for best foreign language film, takes place in Kenya. A German-Jewish family seeks refuge from the Nazis “nowhere in Africa” and faces cultural and marital difficulties. Actually, it’s a better movie than it sounds! See our full review.
Das Sams (D)
English title: The Slurb. Director: Ben Verbong. A children’s film about a small, weird red-headed creature who pops up in the life of several people and brings about a few changes in the process. Not a highly rated film, either by critics or audiences.
Der Schuh des Manitu (D)
Director: Michael Herbig. The biggest German box-office hit since “Lola rennt”! But the film’s humor doesn’t really translate very well. See our closer look at this German comedy western: Der Schuh des Manitu. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Was tun, wenn’s brennt (D)
Director: Gregor Schnitzler. Til Schweiger stars in this film that revisits Germany’s turbulent 1980s. Thirteen years have passed since six Germans were involved in (street demonstrations) and (apartment house sit-ins). They long ago abandoned their radical ways, but when a long-forgotten bomb they had left in a Berlin villa explodes, their lives are about to get very complicated. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Viktor Vogel - Commercial Man (D)
A German satiric comedy about a fast-talking would-be German ad man and the world of advertising. Directed by Lars Kraume. English title: Advertising Rules. Stars Alexander Scheer, Götz George, and Chulpan Khamatova.
Wie Feuer und Flamme (D)
English title: Never Mind the Wall. Director: Connie Walther. Love conquers the Berlin Wall in 1982. Nele, 17, was born in West Berlin. Captain is an East Berliner. But love isn’t easy in a divided city. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
2000 Films and DVDs
alaska.de (D)
Director: Esther Gronenborn. Another dreary German film about the struggles of German suburban youth. It all starts when 16-year-old Sabine’s mother sends her off to live with her father in an East Berlin suburb. After a stabbing death, things go from dreary to worse. A well-acted, award-winning work that demonstrates all too well why Germans hate German movies. But there are people who actually like this sort of thing! If you’re one of them, get the German DVD… - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Anatomie (D)
Not for the squeamish, this German horror flick stars Franka Potente of “Run Lola Run” fame. German with English subtitles.
England! (D)
Director: Achim von Borries. Valeri is dying of radiation sickness. He is one of many young Russian soldiers who were ordered to help out in Chernobyl — without adequate protection. Faced with his death sentence, Valeri decides to live out his dream while he still can. All he wants to do is go to England. But as a Russian whose best pal is living in Germany (and also faced with death by radiation), that is easier said than done. Valeri leaves Kiev for Germany by bus to find his pal Victor. When he learns that Victor has committed suicide, the story takes an unexpected turn.
Frau2 sucht Happy End (D)
Director: Edward Berger. This German “You’ve Got Mail” is a love story about two lost souls in Berlin who get together via e-mail. Mai works the phones for a TV shopping channel; Gregor is a radio announcer. It all starts when Mai has an auto accident on a rainy night in Berlin. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Freunde (D)
Director: Martin Eigler. Nils is a Berlin narc who suddenly finds he must go undercover to investigate old friends he hasn’t seen for years. Some critics called this a clever mix of psychodrama and detective story. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Gripsholm (D)
Director: Xavier Koller. A romanticized biopic based on the life of the German writer Kurt Tucholsky, who left Nazi Germany for exile in Sweden in 1932. Ulrich Noethen (”Comedian Harmonists,” “Das fliegende Klassenzimmer”) plays Kurt Tucholsky, Heike Makatsch his Prinzessin Lydia. The title and much of the story are taken from Tucholsky’s novel . The filmmakers create a true reflection of the 1930s through authentic costumes, props, and locations. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Marlene (D)
Director: Joseph Vilsmaier. Katja Flint plays the famous Dietrich in this German biopic. Didn’t do very well at the box office or with critics. Vilsmaier was generally vilified for betraying the Dietrich legend (i.e., ignoring the true story) and turning out the kind of German film that gives German films a bad name! You’d be better off watching David Riva’s 2001 documentary about his grandmother Marlene (above) or the 1986 “Marlene” documentary by Maximilian Schell.
Die Stille nach dem Schuss (D)
Director: Volker Schlöndorff. English title: The Legend of Rita. German terrorism in the 1970s. Rita Vogt gets mixed up with a terrorist group and takes refuge in East Germany. Schlöndorff’s film deals with the touchy German-German question of West German terrorists in the 1970s and the support they found in East Germany. - DVD/D: The German DVD (PAL, Region 2) is available from the German-Hollywood DVD Store (Web link)
Das weiße Rauschen (D)
Director: Hans Weingartner. English title: The White Roar (should be “White Noise”). Lukas (Daniel Brühl) falls deeper and deeper into schizophrenia. Weingartner tries to counter the common stereotypes of this acute mental illness as we watch a “normal” person suffer the symptoms of a disease that can only be controlled by drugs, but for which there is no real cure.
MORE > German Movie Guide 1997-1999
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VIDEOS > German Videostore
From: german.about.com
Oven barbecued chicken is one of those recipes that takes just a few minutes to throw together. You don’t need any special ingredients or tools, either. If you have chicken, barbecue sauce and an oven, you can make this oven BBQ chicken. Ingredients:1 tsp. olive oil1-1/2 to 2 pounds chicken breasts, thighs and drumsticks1/2 tsp. kosher salt1/2 tsp. pepper1 cup barbecue saucePreparation: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
When grill pan gets hot, add chicken. Sear until browned on each side. Transfer to a baking dish.
Spread barbecue sauce evenly over chicken.
Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Chicken Breast Recipes
Cranberry Chicken Recipe
Chicken Francaise
Hawaiian Chicken
Lemon Chicken
Chicken Manicotti
Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
Crockpot Orange Chicken
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Potato Chip Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken
Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Pretzel Chicken
Orange Chicken
Chicken Recipes
BBQ Chicken Recipe
BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Baked Chicken Tenders
Baked Chicken with Vegetables
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Cheesy Chicken Tenders
Chicken Calzones
Chicken Egg Rolls
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken French Bread Pizza
Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Chicken Kabobs
Chicken Nachos
Chicken Quesadillas
Chinese Chicken Salad
Crockpot Lemonade Chicken
Fried Chicken
Impossible Chicken Pie
Lemon Roasted Chicken
Mexican Chicken Salad
Oven Barbecued Chicken
Peanut Chicken Tenders
Pineapple Coconut Chicken Rice Casserole
Thai Chicken Pizza
White Chicken Chili
Easy Chicken Recipes | Easy Dinner Recipes | Cooking for Kids Recipe Index
Weekly Cooking for Kids Newsletter
From: kidscooking.about.com
Kids of all ages love Snickerdoodles. Prep Time: 30 minutesCook Time: 10 minutesIngredients:1 cup shortening1-1/2 cup sugar2 eggs2 3/4 cups flour2 teaspoons cream of tarter1 teaspoon soda1/4 teaspoon saltCinnamon-Sugar mixturePreparation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease your cookie sheet. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. In a small bowl, combine flour, cream of tarter, soda and salt using a wire whisk. Gradually add flour mixture to shortening mixture until completely combined. Roll dough into balls about the size of walnuts. Dip into cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake two inched apart for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
From: baking.about.com
Terri, 39, is from Chicago and now lives in Columbus, Ohio. She is a freelance stylist/designer and currently works as a Victoria’s Secret visual manager.PrevNextGallery IndexImage 15 of 16
All Project Runway photos are courtesy of Bravo.Photo of Project Runway Designer Terri.PrevNext
From: realitytv.about.com
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From: africanhistory.about.com
European civilization has produced many great works of art, fascinating people and marvellous tales, but it’s war which has inspired the most computer games. And let’s face it, an online tour is never going to match the numerous emotions of a good pc war game. These are my picks of the current best.
1. Medieval II: Total WarSet between 1090 to 1530 CE, M2:TW lets you command thousands of individually animated 3-dimensional warriors in battles featuring knights, archers, catapults and even elephant mounted cannon. You also have to build and fund your armies while conquering regions on a map of Europe, the Middle East and even South America (once it’s been discovered) with the ultimate aim of becoming emperor. Great graphics, great gameplay and a strong sense of history… An expansion pack is now also available.2. Company of HeroesThis real time strategy has plenty of arcade elements, but the rest oozes World War Two atmosphere. Build your units and send them to your targets on the map, balancing capturing resources with defeating your opponent. This probably won’t satisfy serious wargamers, but everyone else should be happy.3. Total War: ErasThis massive value-for-money compilation includes every game and expansion released in the Total War series before (but not including) Medieval II: Total War, as well as a soundtrack CD. The price is worth it for just Rome: Total War alone, a game equally as good as M2:TW with a different, but equally superb, atmosphere.4. Combat Mission: Barbarossa to BerlinIf you value historical accuracy and the ability to use correct tactics over flashy graphics and a rocking soundtrack you’ll probably adore this, a turn based, 3-d game set on the Eastern Front during WW2. It’s probably the most accurate game on the market, if not the most attractive, and there’s a free demo.5. Blitzkrieg 2Pitched perfectly between the simulation of Combat Mission and the arcade of Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2, the original Blitzkrieg was my favourite real time strategy game set during the Second World War. This sequel opens the game to cover the Pacific theatre as well, but also features cameos from historical figures, adding a ‘special character’ feeling I found offputting. Be careful of the copy protection though: you might not want to install this game at all, depending on what you use your pc for…6. Cossacks Gold EditionA real time strategy set somewhere between Total War and Civilization – expand your nation across the map whilst also fighting huge battles – Cossacks boasts 85 pre-designed historical campaigns, 16 nations to choose from, online games with up to seven players and a solid, proven system of gameplay, although the graphics aren’t great. Perhaps the biggest selling point is the era: the age of Pike and Musket, with the English Civil War and Seven Years War all featured. A sequel is now available.7. Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2Play as Britain, Russia, America or even Germany in this graphically stunning live action strategy. You control beautifully modeled 3D units in either groups or individually as you attempt to complete 25 missions; unfortunately, the general theme is special forces behind enemy lines, an all too common setting for WW2. However, you can choose between stealth or outright carnage to achieve your goals in what is ultimately an arcade look at WW2.8. Knights of HonorAs with Medieval: Total War, this is a mixture of ‘Civilization’-empire building and large-scale battle simulation, although there is greater emphasis on diplomacy, spying, economics and living out the feudal system; as such, it’s the only game to appear in both ‘war’ and ‘empire’ top picks. The ultimate goal is conquering the whole continent, but you’ll need more than a blood thirst to achieve it.9. Close Combat 2 (Close Combat - A Bridge too Far)There may have been three more Close Combat’s since this was released, but war and computer gamers have consistently rated this as the best modern era real time strategy game ever, simply because of the sheer realism: you have to use proper tactics to succeed. While arcade style action games are often more immediately enjoyable, Close Combat 2 is more rewarding and even educational. However, the engine is getting a little old and you may require help getting started in modern systems.10. Ancient Wars: SpartaSparta is only one of three nations you can play in this RTS game set in the ancient era, but with the success of 300 and the unfortunate popularity of the Spartans it’s understandable why they get top billing over the Persians and Egyptians. The graphics have been criticised but they’re functional and there is enough of a challenge and historical flavour to keep you interested as you conquer the Mediterranean.From: europeanhistory.about.com
