Command air forces in Verdun, April 1916, as forward observers spot enemy planes and the fight for sky control swings between Allies and Germany. This strategy simulation blends overhead tactical planning with cockpit action, where you plot routes, manage squadrons, and engage in side-scrolling dogfights or bombing runs on factories and cities. Draw from Sun Tzu's tactics to target enemy production for superiority or strike capitals to force surrender, leading British or German forces against figures like Kaiser Wilhelm II and Helmut von Spike.
Players tackle 20 historical and 34 fictional campaigns, plus a campaign editor to build custom battles, assign pilots, and craft narratives. The core loop tests strategic oversight and hands-on aerial combat in fact-based or invented scenarios. Strategy fans who enjoy planning and direct control will find hours of replayable depth.
Verdun, April 1916. The radio crackles alive as forward observers on the ground alert air commanders to enemy planes overhead. The balance of power in the skies continues to shift, back and forth between the allies and Germany. The battle for air superiority will continue until the United States enters the war and fills the skies with hundreds of aircraft.
This classic game will test both your strategic command and aerial combat skills. Plan your strategy, goals, and routes on the overhead tactical map, and then head into the cockpit for side-scrolling dogfights, squadron-to-squadron battles, and eagle-eye bombing runs
The game includes 20 historically accurate, and 34 fictional campaigns, providing hours and hours of gameplay. A detailed campaign editor lets you create even more campaigns, designing battlefields, assigning planes and pilots, defining the rules and even writing the campaign narrative.
The Ancient Art of War in the Skies is based on the writings of Sun Tzu, who wrote the military strategy and tactics masterpiece The Art of War. The game is a fantastic, early example of a blended strategy and action title. Will you destroy your enemies factories in order to gain numerical superiority? Destroy his capital city to force his surrender? Or wear his forces down in battle?
- Command in both fact-based and fictional scenarios
- Control British or German forces
- Manage plane factories
- Plan routes and battles
- Make bombing runs against factories and cities
- Take part in aerial battles and dogfights
- Fight against historical figures, including Lord Kitchener, Ferdinand Foch, Kaiser Wilhelm II, fictional enemy Helmut von Spike, and even Sun Tzu himself.
- Use the campaign editor to create your own scenarios
First published in 1992, The Ancient Art of War in the Skies was part of a series of games created by brothers Dave Murry and Barry Murry based on the writings of Sun Tzu.
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