Obviously, this is more of an issue when the AI takes its turn, since you can control the pace of your own attacks. Otherwise, you pretty much have to go back and find the combatants on the map and highlight each to see who came out on top. However, in Panzer General 3D Assault, it's difficult to tell what happened in a particular engagement unless you leave the animations on and watch the combat unfold. As any Panzer General veteran knows, the combat animations are great for the first scenario or so, and then you shut them off to speed up gameplay. The only one that stays with you throughout is the lightning-fast combat resolution that occurs when units attack one another if you turn off the unit animation. However, once you get used to the 3D interface, most of these issues fade away. Ordering aircraft to attack other aircraft can be confusing as well, as you must click on a destination hex square to move the planes, but then click on an airborne target that looks as if it's in a completely different spot. Also, aircraft float above their hexes but are often tough to pinpoint in areas cluttered with other units. Unfortunately, the game suffers from the same problem as Panzer General II: Units in city hexes often get lost amidst the scenery. The graphics are mostly good, and the rolling terrain is quite impressive. As a result, this Panzer General looks very much like a tabletop miniatures game (but one played on a really cool tabletop that comes complete with rivers and little cities). It won't take long to spot Panzer General 3D Assault's most prominent new feature: Instead of painted backgrounds and prerendered units, the game uses true 3D terrain maps and tiny little 3D-rendered unit graphics. In short, it's more of the same, only better in most respects, which ought to be good news for fans of the series. Though the 3D graphics can occasionally lead to command and control problems, the game is based on a good underlying system and offers the same brand of gameplay that made Panzer General such a huge hit.
With its all-new 3D graphics engine and a handful of new features, Panzer General 3D Assault brings this popular turn-based tank-warfare series back for a third go-round.