Item - The Civil War

This is quite an uneven entry in the Interactive History Adventure series. While not as boring as Civil War Secret Agent in the Time Machine series, I still found most of the book quite uninvolving. Matt Doeden's talent for designing military-based adventures only shows up in a few places, and the good moments do not quite raise the book above 'mediocre' level. Don't go out of your way to read this book.

More reviews by Guillermo

This book covers the American Civil War, or the War between the States. I am less knowledgeable about this subject than some others, so perhaps that caused me to enjoy the book more as it was more open ended.

As all of these books, the educational angle is stressed, but like Life as a Viking it doesn't try to punish you with morality choices (for example deserting the army or reporting runaway slaves).

There are three main paths: a Confederate soldier, a Union soldier or a civilian lady during the siege of Vicksburg. Of the three, I found the civilian entry the most interesting as it tries to introduce typical problems civilians would face, such as looters, starving, and unexploded ordinance.

Overall, a decent read that fulfills its purpose.

More reviews by Kveto