The campaign map was a masterpiece of parchment and ink. You moved your wooden army pieces across the borders of France, feeling the weight of every decision. To the east, the Russian bear was stirring; to the south, the heat of the North African sands awaited. Then came the battle for Austerlitz.
You weren't a student anymore; you were the Commander-in-Chief of the British Empire.
The transition from the grand strategy map to the 3D battlefield was breathtaking for 2005. You saw your lines of musketeers—hundreds of them—standing in perfect, terrifying formation. The air was quiet until you gave the order. "Fire!"