Atlantic Storm Avalon Hill As a rule of thumb, I normally don't like naval games and I have a low tolerance for card games, so it was with great reservation that I agreed to play test and review Atlantic Storm. However, it didn't take long for me to realize that this one was different. During this period the German Navy tried attempted to knock Great Britain out of the war, and very nearly succeeded. Instead, the German Navy was neutralized, assuring the flow of vital war materiel and other supplies to support the war effort. This action is simulated in Atlantic Storm, in which players must win a series of "hands," each one representing a convoy crossing the Atlantic or Arctic oceans during the middle years of WWII, 1941-1943. There is no map or "grand strategy" in Atlantic Storm. Rather, each round is played by drawing combat cards and pitting your current hand against the cards drawn from the convoy deck. "Battle" takes place underwater, on the surface, in the air, or in a combination of all three, and cards have different point values for each of these environments, one that is sometimes variable and determined by throwing one or two dice. Each player plays a card in succession. The "side" with the highest values wins the "battle" and the player with the highest value card wins (and keeps) the convoy card and any cards from the losing side. Each hand, players may elect to play either as Allied or German, depending on which is more advantageous for them, and it is possible that all the players may opt to be German or all might opt to be Allied. In such cases, the convoy is either saved or sunk, depending on whether the players were all Allied or German, and the player with the highest value card wins the hand. Points are tallied up by the number of convoys/hands a player has won at the end of the game. This occurs after the last convoy card has been played. What makes the game so interesting is the variety of ways a player can play each hand. Play Allied and defend when your cards favor that, go on the offensive when your strong suit is German. Balancing the strength of air, surface, and subsurface cards adds further sophistication without adding complexity. Rounds move quickly and smoothly with an entire game lasting no more than 90 minutes. A unique feature is the use of historical event cards that mandate certain outcomes. For example a player who plays the British battleship, Duke of York (pictured at right) in the same round that another player plays the German Scharnhorst automatically takes that card from the other player. However, he/she may still lose the hand, depending on what cards are played by the other players. Most of the famous craft of the period (e.g., Hood, Bismark, etc.) are represented and stand a chance of meeting their fate.   Another attractive feature of the game is the effective use on the cards of graphics and useful information on many of the actual engagements, equipment, and tactics. Each card also contains excellent black-and-white photographs of period craft. As play progresses, one gets a very user-friendly lesson on the actual battles and engagements of the war in the Atlantic. Atlantic Storm is fun at any depth, and is a very unusual combination of quick play, sophisticated interaction, and historic education. It rates a full 10 points in a 10-point scale. Up periscope! --Amos Alonzo Rapper