North & South
DOS - 1990
Also released on: Amiga - Amstrad CPC - Atari ST - Commodore 64 - MSX - ZX Spectrum
Description of North & South
North & South is a competent PC translation of Infogrames' most famous Amiga game. In simplest terms, it's a tongue-in-cheeck American Civil War strategy-cum-arcade game, with characters from a popular French comic strip called Les Tuniques Bleues. The name of the comic strip means 'Blue Tunics,' which refer to the Union side ('North' in the game).
The game is played on a US map where you make strategic-level decisions such as where to move your army, recruit more soldiers, and link up the towns with railway to transport the ever-important gold. Armies are represented by single soldiers, with flags indicating which territories are held by which army (if an area doesn't have a flag then it's unoccupied and up for grabs).
When you move into a state occupied by the opposite side or vice versa, a battle occurs, and the game zooms into the action. This is undoubtedly the best part of the game. You will be looking down across either a canyon or a field, seeing your units (artillery, cavalry and infantry) shown as little groups. Fighting is a simple matter of choosing which unit to move where, and watching your battle represented with amusing, well-animated soldiers.
Although the EGA graphics and PC speaker sounds in the PC version do no justice to the amazing Amiga original, they still manage to convey the fun. When you see your cavalry charge over the bridges, you can't help but feel the excitement. And it doesn't stop there. The game is full of many fun mini-arcade games, such as when you try to break up the opposition's railway line by taking over a state between two towns. To do that, you will sprint along the top of a train, trying to get the driver's seat to stop it (this bears an uncanny similarity to one level in Back to The Future III). When you try to wrest control of a town from the enemy, you will infiltrate the enemy fort in side-scrolling platformer fashion, throwing knives and punches at enemy soldiers on your way to raising your standard on their flagpole.
With a near-perfect balance between action and strategy, smooth animations, and humorous gameplay, North & South is an addictive, original classic, especially when you play against a friend. Anyone expecting a realistic wargame based on the conflict should look elsewhere, but anyone who is looking for a fun (especially in multiplayer) strategy game with a historical motif will find North & South a fun game that doesn't take itself too seriously. Two thumbs up!
Review By HOTUD
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Comments and reviews
Johnny-boy 2021-01-21 0 point
I played NES version of the game against AI and my best friend. This game is lot of fun! Recommended game for time killing!
minder.org 2020-03-24 0 point DOS version
I have the original (and still do) PC CD game having had it on floppy before this. Hoping to play this with my offspring soon as this game is a right laugh. Any ideal dosbox settings?
lowlanda 2018-04-07 2 points Amiga version
Amiga version please!
Awesome game, many happy young hours here :)
Nike 2017-01-05 3 points DOS version
Paco, could you upload your VGA version so we could try to crack it?
Paco 2016-07-26 1 point DOS version
It's a pity you only have the EGA/CGA version, the VGA version has better graphics, i still have it on floppy unfortunatelly it has copy protection and can't find a cracked version online to use with dosbox
Oldschool 2014-08-14 1 point DOS version
Another example of the superior Amiga performance (graphics and sound) at that time. Go play this one with an Amiga emulator!
OM 2013-02-05 2 points DOS version
...It was the War Betwixt the States, yuh dadblamed Yankees!!!
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Buy North & South
North & South is available for a small price on the following website, and is no longer abandonware. GOG.com provides the best release and does not include DRM, please buy from them! You can read our online store guide.
Game Extras and Resources
Some of these file may not be included in the game stores. For North & South, we have the following files:
Other Releases
North & South was also released on the following systems:
Amiga
- Year: 1989
- Publisher: Data East USA, Inc., Digital Integration Ltd., Infogrames Europe SA
- Developer: Infogrames Europe SA
Amstrad CPC
- Year: 1990
- Publisher: Infogrames Europe SA
- Developer: Infogrames Europe SA
Atari ST
- Year: 1989
- Publisher: Digital Integration Ltd., Infogrames Europe SA
- Developer: Infogrames Europe SA
Commodore 64
- Year: 1989
- Publisher: Infogrames Europe SA
- Developer: Infogrames Europe SA
MSX
- Year: 1991
- Publisher: Infogrames Europe SA
- Developer: Infogrames Europe SA
ZX Spectrum
- Year: 1991
- Publisher: Infogrames Europe SA
- Developer: Infogrames Europe SA
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