The 4th edition of Agema's tactical battle game Napoleonic Battles has been released. Traditionally played by mail,with this new version it can now also be played via email, making it available for the first time to players outside of the UK.

The other major change in this edition are the new graphics. Previously a battalion of infantry would have been shown by an appropriate military boardgame-type symbol on the battle maps, one related to the formation currently used by the unit such as square or column of divisions. Now each infantry unit is represented by approximately 600 soldiers in formation, and along with new terrain graphics this gives the battles the look and feel of a Napoleonic engraving of a battle, albeit one in glorious colour.

Numerous tactical options can now be tried out alongside the more standard things. You can order troops to lie down, have the rear rank turn about, set woods or buildings on fire, and move quickly by telling a unit to break forward and then rally to the flag (risky if you're caught out of formation by an enemy cavalry squadron!).

Each game lasts between five and fifteen game turns, with one turn played each fortnight.

Most games pit one player against another in a manner akin to a tabletop wargame, but we also run larger battles involving lots of player on a grand scale with 'floating maps' which change as your corps moves about, so a map edge is not a secure flank! Recent examples of such games have been Talavera and Borodino (a real monster of a game!), and presently a fictional big battle is under way. However, we prefer new players to try out the standard game before embroiling them in a larger battle to make sure they understand and enjoy the game first before inflicting their military genius on allied players in one of the larger affairs!

The first game of Napoleonic Battles was launched in 1994, but the new version has come a long way since then. Over 300 games have so far been played, and over 2,800 game turns processed, so this is a tried and tested system!

More information is available on Agema's website, agema.org.uk