Close Combat was a great series of games, and my view of tactical combat was greatly expanded by playing it. (Previously, I only knew about the horde-oriented tactics of Warcraft II.) From Close Combat I learned the basic, yet important tactic of bringing overwhelming firepower to bear against a point on the enemy's line, breaking it, and then rolling up the line from the flanks.

I only played the first game in its entirity. I tried out the demos of "A Bridge Too Far" and "The Russian Front," but never bought the games. I also preferred the first - my units seemed more responsive, and the combat system seemed less capricious. These gameplay considerations outweighed some of the bells and whistles added in subsequent games, in my opinion.

It was because of my aggressive style that I preferred to play as the Americans. Of course, I would attempt to attack when playing as the Germans as well, but the scenarios didn't always lend themselves to this as much. Oh well; I wish Close Combat ran on Windows XP!