Game: Caesar
Publisher: GMT Games
List Price: USD 45
Theme: The Roman Civil Wars (involving Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar)
Scale: cohort and auxiliary level
Rating: A
Caesar is the continuing saga of Rome using the now famous SPQR system. The counters are beautifully done (although they could be a little thicker) and the historical commentaries with the rules are very informative (and even humorous). There are some changes from the SPQR system, but all are noted with arrows in the rule booklet, so that those of us who are familiar with SPQR will have an easy time adjusting quickly to the new rules.
One of the latest changes is the new line commands. In the past, one had to issue commands to specific units only, and only those that were in a rigid formation. Now, there is only one type of Legion unit (the Cohort, based on the new Marius legion formation), and one can now use loose formations to issue the same orders. The results are a more fluid battlefield and quicker reactions to enemy movements. Another feature which appeared in SPQR is the Élite leadership status. This has been simplified (grin) by having only Julius Caesar as an Élite leader. There are also different training levels in the game; Veterans (the best), Recruits (less trained), and the Conscripts (completely green, and most likely to run).
The battlefields are all over the place - Greece, northern Africa, and Spain - and the game comes with enough counters for a full 30 legions, to say nothing of a full counter sheet of auxiliary troops! Most of the scenarios are listed as being biased towards Pompey, but beating the odds is what made Caesar legendary.
Overall, this looks to be a good product with lots of colorful units, and the designer seems to have taken the time to make the rules transition from SPQR to Caesar as painless as possible. One last note: there are indications that an expansion module dealing with Caesar's Gallic campaigns will be released using Caesar's rules system.