While the stage was set in 1918, the grand symphony of destruction began in earnest in 1939, though overtures were first heard in the Far East during the early '30s. The chief conductor and architect of aggression, Adolf Hitler, plunged the world into a danse macabre that would shatter nations and consume tens of millions of lives. This was the Second World War and it's harsh realities.

From the first machine-gun armed tanks that crossed the Polish border in '39, to the mammoth armored creatures that defended a dying Reich, the Second World War is often remembered for its machines of war. While these machines varied from tanks, to half-tracks, to ground attack aircraft, they all shared in common the fact that they were the pinnacle of man's ingenious schemes to create mass slaughter. While many were first seen in the First World War, it would not be until the Second World War that they would truly dominate. This was also a time that the theories of such strategists like J.F.C. Fuller were put to the test.

Fuller's theories, that of a pure armored breakthrough, were shown to be just that, speculation. The reality was the war was carried by the art of combined warfare, as you will experience in winSPWW2 from The Camo Workshop.

winSPWW2, a game of Combined Arms Tactical Combat 1930-1946, is the latest and greatest version of what began as a classic super-mod for the classic SSI title, Steel Panthers 2: Modern Battles. Now completely updated to take advantage of the Windows operating system, winSPWW2 completely sheds its DOS roots and brings tactical turn-based strategy gamers one of the most rewarding and engrossing titles they'll ever play.

Besides the OS shift winSPWW2 features a fusillade of new features. Some examples include higher resolutions, re-organized game screens, new terrains and redone terrain tiles, a revised game palette, rail lines, smart vehicle reversing, and much more! Additional scenarios, maps, photos, and long campaigns are also included.

winSPWW2 is available as either a free download or as an enhanced CD edition. The core game remains the same in either version, but the CD edition provides a wealth of additional enhancements designed to improve your overall game experience, such as secure tournament play and a more robust map editor. Serious wargamers will definitely appreciate all the bonuses that the enhanced CD edition has to offer, but with hundreds of scenarios and a strong community, you can't go wrong with either edition.

winSPWW2, with its amazing amount of historical detail, massive amounts of gameplay, and an extreme dosage of the fun factor, is the game that should be on every tactical fan's hard drive. Find out why a game whose roots date back to the mid-90s is still being enjoyed on a daily basis worldwide. Download the game today and start playing while you wait for your enhanced CD edition to arrive!

Here are some key features of "winSPWW2":

· Tactical single and multi-player gameplay of combined arms combat from 1930 thru 1946.
· Based on the classic Steel Panthers game, although winSPWW2 is a total reworking, both inside and out, of the system.
· Fully Windows compatible, with a complete removal of all DOS problems. All sound and mouse routines Windows compliant now.
· Full screen or windowed, using either DirectX or Windows GDI based graphics.
· Game resolution can be raised to 800x600 (original was stuck at 640x480), with even higher resolutions available with the enhanced CD version.
· New zoom-in level and a revised game palette.
· Over 332 scenarios, 66 of which are totally new to winSPWW2.
· 60 new maps and 275 new photos.
· Six new nations: Slovak Republic, Manchukuo, Italian Social Republic, Vichy France, Polish Communists, and Chinese Communists.
· 500+ new and revised vehicle/aircraft icons.
· Scripted long campaigns added for France, Chinese Nationalists, and Chinese Communists.
· New terrains: Bare Earth, Red Earth, Brick Cobblestones, Stone Cobblestones, Beach Sand, Sparse Grass, Grass (Variant), Leaves (Forest Groundcover), Autumn Trees, Autumn Orchards.
· Twelve revised terrain tile sets.
· Custom OOBs easily loaded.
· Intelligent map generator. Railways are occasionally generated, and barbed wire is added for defensive battles.
· Infantry squads will display up to 19 men (such as pre-war Polish units), instead of always only 13.
· AI opfire and reaction fire routines have been totally re-written for more selective, and smarter, target acquisition.
· A new retire function allows troop carriers to fall back after unloading passengers.
· Empty carriers at the scenario start will now search for disembarked units to load automatically.
· In depth historical accuracy.
· Easy to learn, but a challenge to master!
· A thriving community, with continually generated fan content!
· Too many more details to list that make this one of the greatest tactical games ever seen on your PC!


What's New in This Release:

· 13 New scenarios
· 2 Updated scenarios previously available
· 15 Brand new maps
· 14 Updated leader names (file)
· 29 Updated ranks (file)
· 75 Icons, both completely new and those revised
· 143 New photos
· 36 Updated OOB files
· The Cost Calculator, CamoMapEditor, MOBHack, and ScenHack have all be upgraded
· In addition to the features listed above the upgrade patch also includes:
· Artillery priority hexes are now issued based on the type of battle and the number of forward observers (along with the equipment of the FOs).
· Retreat/rally hexes have been added.
· For those owning the Enhanced CD version of the game Opfire filtering has been added. Yet another reason to upgrade to the Enhanced CD version!
· HEAT ammo has a secondary HE ability now. Units will reserve the last four
· HEAT rounds for anti-tank attacks, and are more reluctant to fire HEAT/HE
against soft targets in reaction fire.
· All Panzerfaust type weapons have had their HE ammo removed to conform to the above modification in ammo types.
· A "View All" button has been added, allowing the user to check to see what a unit can see in all six directions at once.
· Maximum game points are now at 65,000 for all games.
· Infantry and vehicles can now enter -1 water hexes.
· Fixed the bug with the "Next" and "First" buttons overlapping when displaying
unit formations with more than two pages of units.
· Fixed hex info not being shown in the bombardment screen after the unit info was accessed.
· Nationalist and Communist Chinese will fight each other AND the Japanese.
· From May '45 onwards their will only fight each other (or those within their own group).
· Fixed the bug in the Long Campaigns where the AI was not buying mines on the defense.
· Many more tweaks, fiddles, and adjustments!