Over the Reich

File:OvertheReichScreenshot5PC.PNG

Players can play as Nazi Germany, the United States of America, or Great Britain. This game combines turn-based dogfighting with strategic manoeuvers as the player must position airplanes to destroy enemies. Authentic clips from World War II help to improve the realism of this video game.

A mostly classical music soundtrack (with some wartime radio music) provides ambiance for the aerial settings. Missions range from trying to liberate Nazi-occupied France by air power to attacking the German military power in the heart of Germany itself. The main menu resembles a vintage World War II hangar with difficulty levels ranging from Cadet (allowing new players to dive directly into the game) to Flight Commander (where incidentals like altitude, speed and attitude have to be manually controlled).

Creating results that are worse than expected will result in somber music. However, achieving results that are better expected will result in swing music being played. Music played during combat is the "Ride of the Valkyries" by Richard Wagner.

Over the Reich was designed by Charles Moylan of Big Time Software. It is an adaptation of the board wargame Over the Reich. Moylan had previously developed Flight Commander 2 for the publisher.

{{Video game reviews

| CGSP = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19971007211341/http://www.cdmag.com/war_vault/over_the_reich_review/article.html | url=http://www.cdmag.com/war_vault/over_the_reich_review/article.html | title=Over the Reich Review | date=February 20, 1997 | author=Lackey, Jeff | work=Computer Games Strategy Plus | archivedate=October 7, 1997 | url-status=dead }}

| PCGUS = 85%{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000307235921/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/790.html | url=http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/790.html | title=Over the Reich | date=March 1997 | author=Trotter, William R. | author-link=William R. Trotter | work=PC Gamer US | archivedate=March 7, 2000 | url-status=dead }}

| rev1 = CNET Gamecenter

| rev1Score = 8/10{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816100827/http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-511,00.html | url=http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-511,00.html | title=PC Reviews; Over the Reich | author=Cirulis, Martin E. | date=February 6, 1997 | work=CNET Gamecenter | archivedate=August 16, 2000 | url-status=dead }}

}}

Over the Reich sold fewer than 50,000 units globally. This was part of a trend for Avalon Hill games during the period; Terry Coleman of Computer Gaming World wrote in late 1998 that "no AH game in the past five years" had reached the mark.{{cite magazine | author=Coleman, Terry | title=The Buying Game | date=November 1998 | issue=172 | magazine=Computer Gaming World | pages=54, 55, 370 }}

Over the Reich was a runner-up for Computer Gaming World{{'}}s 1996 "Wargame of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Battleground: Shiloh. The editors wrote of Over the Reich, "Dogfights are fun, particularly over the Internet, but the real appeal of this game lies in the campaigns, where developing your individual pilots is almost a role-playing game in itself."{{cite magazine | author=Staff | magazine=Computer Gaming World | title=The Computer Gaming World 1997 Premier Awards |date=May 1997 | issue=154 | pages=68–70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80 }}

• [http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/198245.html Over the Reich] at GameFAQs
• [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/overthereich/index.html Over the Reich] at GameSpot
• [http://www.ign.com/games/over-the-reich Over the Reich] at IGN
• {{MobyGames|id=/over-the-reich}}

{{Avalon Hill}}

Category:1996 video games

Category:Avalon Hill video games

Category:Classic Mac OS games

Category:Computer wargames

Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games

Category:Strategy video games

Category:Video games about Nazi Germany

Category:Video games developed in the United States

Category:Windows games

Category:World War II video games