Matrix Games

Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets is the latest strategy title from the award-winning team at Strategic Studies Group.  A synthesis of the very best elements of two critically acclaimed and top-rated game systems, Decisive Battles and Battlefront, and a successor to both, the new Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets brings to life a campaign of epic scale and dynamic battles on the Eastern Front of World War II.

Command the Soviet forces, newly confident after stopping and throwing back the Barbarossa offensive, or try the elite and seasoned German army now reconstituted after Winter losses and ready to regain the initiative.  Two separate forces prepared offensives in the same area in the Spring of 1942.  When the dust had cleared the Germans had managed a great victory that opened the doors to the drive on Stalingrad.  But the outcome was far from certain and in Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets, history is yours to rewrite.

This new system allows both regimental and battalion level combat, while incorporating many innovative features such as off-map reinforcement decisions and on-map historical areas of operation with mystery variants to increase replayability and limit the effect of hindsight.  Along with the substantially improved and simplified supply and movement systems, a new bonus and advantage system for headquarters effects, simplified direct fire and better combat tables, an improved strong points system and the ability to create hedgehog defenses make this the most advanced and realistic SSG design to date.

Perhaps the most innovative new feature of Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets is the on-map area of operation and mystery variant system. This new system takes away the advantage of hindsight by restricting mass unit relocation while allowing the areas to change as you achieve your objectives, with mystery variants keeping the opponent from predicting your limits.  These new rules represent a realistic modeling of historical command restrictions and add a new and fascinating layer to each side’s decision-making.

• Successor to the highly popular and award winning Decisive Battles and Battlefront engines, combining the best elements of both
• An innovative and fun area of operation system which limits unrealistic redeployments for both players, with changes triggered as local objectives are achieved and based on mystery variants to keep the enemy guessing
• Improved and simplified supply, movement and direct combat systems
• Improved combat tables that better model diminishing returns and new HQ bonuses that can affect Direct and Indirect Fire
• Improved strong points and new hedgehog rules
• Models both battalion and regimental combat

Review on IGN UK
7.9/10 (Good) - It's an ambitious design, full of the historical details and accurate combat modeling that grognards crave, and it recreates a thrilling battle along the Eastern Front with enough breakouts, pockets and sieges to satisfy any Red Army officer.

Review on GamersHall.de
A real Strategy heavyweight ... The "Area of Operation System" brings a new aspect to the world of Strategy Gaming ... A very good AI.

Review on MikroBitti.fi
5 Stars - [Translated from Finnish] Only the ignorant think that hex military strategy is a thing of the past. [Kharkov] is a landmark for the friends of the old school.