This game is great. I cannot wait for the anniversary edition. I hope that board is bigger. Why they keep making Axis on small boards is anyone's guess.

I have developed a strategy to take England on turn 2. If that is thwarted by Russia I can also put them in jeopardy very quickly. I also have the ultimate strategy that involves Japan taking the US, but I cannot tell you it because it is so good and so elusive. Unstoppable is the term. My US Pacific strategy is so good it's sick.

This new update of the classic Milton Bradley Axis & Allies game preserves nearly all the elements of the old game, while injecting a little more fun and variety into gameplay.

In my experience, the old version of A&A got repetitive with the game essentially hinging on the battle in one territory in eastern Europe: Karelia. If the Germans could seize and build up their forces in Karelia, the Axis player would win. If not, the Allies would eventually overpower the Axis.

The Avalon Hill update introduces some great improvements, including:

• the division of eastern Europe into many more territories, making the massive land war there more interesting
• a new, more brightly colored map which is more eye-catching
• a new sea unit, the destroyer, which helps negate the effects of submarines
• more IPCs (money) for most nations, giving you more purchase options
• interesting (optional) national advantages for each nation, which let you customize the game or give handicaps to new players
• nation-specific molds for each unit, which adds to the realism of the game

For newcomers to the game, do not be intimidated! The rules take a while to learn, but they are intuitive. The game takes at least 3 hours to play, but you can easily split it over the course of two nights. Then again, you'll be having so much fun, you'll probably just want to keep playing.

Just like the old game, the Allies still have the advantage, albeit a slimmer one. (Hint to the Allied player: Buy UK fighters and fly them to Moscow if the Soviets are in trouble.) But Germany and Japan are more powerful and more fun to play in this new version.

There have been many spinoffs from the A&A series over the years, but the (updated) original is still the mother of all wargames. I can't count the number of times I've played Axis & Allies with my friends. There simply is no better investment in a wargame.