In Making History you begin by choosing a scenario, each scenario has a different time period and there are four to begin with. The game uses a turn based concept, where you give your orders out to your military, produce any domestic products, do what you think needs to be done and the push end turn. Every time you end a turn you will advance one week ahead and lose a turn. There is an "Turns Remaining" summary displayed on the screen which tells you how long you have to the end. The game roughly ends, at the same date the real war ended. The military concept of the game is well presented, you order your troops on a 2D map of the world. The map features 3D models of cities, land, sea and air military models are well modeled and most are animated. The A.I is also fairly good at what it does it basically takes advantage of any free territory. Your main objective is simple, lead your country into forging a vast empire. Although that is not as easy it sounds, you will need to form alliances with other nations, you also need to respect other alliances, you cant just wage war on whomever, you do not want go to war with a nation that backed by a large military alliance otherwise you will be restarting, come to think of it you do a lot of that in the game. This said the game offers a solid diplomacy system, a lot been left out, seems incomplete. Gameplay in Making History is slow and methodical and can be entertaining, which can also leave you glued to the computer for hours planning your big victory. But sometimes you just feel the execution is just nowhere, which might bore you. History buffs and strategists will like this game more than the casual gamer. But even for those enthusiasts the game is still not enough. This game will fit in for those times when there is nothing in the store or fill up 10-20 hours of your life.
There is a good plus in the game and that is the editor, which is located in the directory, which comes with the retail version of the game. You have the ability to play as any nation. In one case I made the nation of Croatia. You can edit things down to where on the map you want them to start, or with how much land, and what size an army, with what technological advancements and how long should the game last, and much more. You save your work as a new scenario, which is shown in the single player menu. A very easy to use editor, for anyone. The editor is one of the best additions to the game, considering what you can do with it. Comparing this game to other titles in the same genre such as Hearts of Iron 2, I would say that Hearts of Iron 2 does a much better job. The difference in the two, is that Making History is a much more easier game to get into and you can actually take over the world.
If you are thinking of buying the game give it a shot, but only if you are a nut about history and strategy.
