Tempus Fugit (Countdown to the Big Six-Oh Edition): Then (1973) & Now (2023) Revisited


“We don’t really grow up. Our toys change with time.” ― Nitya Prakash In February of 1973 – around the same time that Sam Ervin, a Democratic Senator from South Carolina, was named Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, and the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark became the first Christian organization to officially accept gay marriageContinue reading “Tempus Fugit (Countdown to the Big Six-Oh Edition): Then (1973) & Now (2023) Revisited”

Old Gamers Never Die: Further Explorations of Operations in MicroProse’s ‘Regiments’


Logistics is the ball-and-chain of armored warfare. – Generaloberst Heinz Guderian Today I learned that while the Operations in Regiments – the new MicroProse/Bird’s Eye Games wargame that centers on a Cold War-turned-hot scenario in which the Warsaw Pact invades West Germany in 1989 – tell a cohesive narrative about World War III in CentralContinue reading “Old Gamers Never Die: Further Explorations of Operations in MicroProse’s ‘Regiments’”

Old Gamers Never Die: Completing My First Operation in MicroProse’s Real-Time Tactics Game ‘Regiments’


“Winning isn’t everything–but wanting to win is.” ― Vince Lombardi I did it. I won my first victory as a combined arms field-grade commander in Regiments. As you know from previous posts in the Old Gamers Never Die series, I recently bought this cool new game developed by a small European studio, Bird’s Eye Games,Continue reading “Old Gamers Never Die: Completing My First Operation in MicroProse’s Real-Time Tactics Game ‘Regiments’”

Old Gamers Never Die: War is Hell, as My First Battle in ‘Regiments’ Pointedly Reminds Me


War is hell. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell. – General William T. Sherman As I have mentioned in several posts recently, yesterday the latest version of MicroProse published Bird’sContinue reading “Old Gamers Never Die: War is Hell, as My First Battle in ‘Regiments’ Pointedly Reminds Me”

Late July Diversions: An Update on My TBR and TBW Lists for the Summer of ’22


Well, with the end of July only a few days off, it’s time for an update on my To Be Watched (TBW) and To Be Read (TBR) lists for the seventh month of 2022. As you know, July is not my favorite month of the year. My mother died on July 19, 2015, after herContinue reading “Late July Diversions: An Update on My TBR and TBW Lists for the Summer of ’22”

Old Gamers Never Die: To Play or Not to Play a ‘Cold Waters’ Campaign…That is the Question


Hi there, Dear Reader. It is late afternoon in Lithia, Florida, on Sunday, June 26, 2022. It is a sizzling – and not in a good way – hot summer day here in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the temperature is 88°F (31°C) under partly sunny skies. With humidity at 67% and the wind blowingContinue reading “Old Gamers Never Die: To Play or Not to Play a ‘Cold Waters’ Campaign…That is the Question”

Old Gamers Never Die: A Quick and Dirty Overview of ‘F-15 Strike Eagle’ & ‘F-15 Strike Eagle II’


One of my favorite computer game series of all time was the original MicroProse Software’s F-15 Strike Eagle trilogy (1984-1992). I was introduced to the original game – designed by the legendary Sid Meier – in 1987 when I bought the Apple II port a few months after I was given an Apple IIe byContinue reading “Old Gamers Never Die: A Quick and Dirty Overview of ‘F-15 Strike Eagle’ & ‘F-15 Strike Eagle II’”

Old Gamers Never Die: Rainy Saturday & Stalking Japanese Carriers in ‘Silent Service II’


Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon in Lithia, Florida, on Saturday, June 11, 2022. It is a dark, stormy, and gloomy early summer day in the Tampa Bay area. As I write this, the temperature is 81°F (27°C) under alternating bouts of rain and cloudiness. With humidity at 79% and the wind blowing fromContinue reading “Old Gamers Never Die: Rainy Saturday & Stalking Japanese Carriers in ‘Silent Service II’”

Old Gamers Never Die: Running Silent, Running Deep on a June Afternoon


Well, I still have not watched either The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan, even though I have the family room TV to myself since The Caregiver is spending all day at the Tampa Bay area hospital where her current beau is waiting for a donated liver for a transplant. I thought about it aContinue reading “Old Gamers Never Die: Running Silent, Running Deep on a June Afternoon”

Old Gamers Never Die: ‘M1 Tank Platoon’ Classic Game Review


M1 Tank Platoon Developer: MPS Labs Publisher: MicroProse Software Released: October 1989 Genre: Real-time Tactical/Tank Simulator Setting: Late Cold War (1989-1991); Hypothetical World War III invasion of West Germany No. of Players: 1 (Human vs. AI) Reissued by: Interplay Entertainment Available on: Steam and Epic “Stand To!” An Overview of M1 Tank Platoon US TankContinue reading “Old Gamers Never Die: ‘M1 Tank Platoon’ Classic Game Review”