Whether it be military, business or charting the unknown, strategy plays a large element in all of Koei's new releases, with one interesting arcade-style exception.  But first, let's talk about war.

	There's never any lack of people who want to fight World War II all over again, so Koei has released Operation Europe.  The player can control either Axis or Allied forces in this strategy game.

	There are six historical battles to choose from, and the commanding officers are chosen from actual historical figures such as Patton and Rommel.  The Sega version was released in June, and the Nintendo version in July.

	Let's face it: World War II has been done to death.  Liberty or Death on the other hand, is a strategy game based on a rather underused conflict: the American Revolution.  It's surprising that this idea hasn't been used more often, since this was a terribly romantic and idealistic period in our history. The player has to raise the funds needed to back up his generals, supply his troops, build forts and forge new weapons.  This is all occasionally punctuated by nice bits of rhetoric like the Patrick Henry quote the game took its title from. Of course, if the player prefers to think that the colonists should never have revolted against their King, he can play the British side instead.  Liberty or Death was released for SNES in April, and the Genesis version will be out in August.

	If you think the airline wars are bad now, what's going to happen in 20 years?  In Aerobiz Supersonic, the player can take the role of a hot new CEO out to change the face of the business map at the start of the 21st century.  The game is not limited to that futuristic scenario, though.  There's a choice of four eras in aviation history.  Also, true to the nature of the business world, the player can diversify his interests through ventures like golf courses and ski resorts.  Aerobiz Supersonic will be available for  SNES in September, and for Genesis in early December.  Happy landings!

	If you're already familiar with that fun-loving 16th century Japanese warlord Nobunaga and his Ambition, well, he's back to try and take over Japan again in Lord of Darkness.  Once again, the player can choose to try and hold him at bay, or take an equal part in the happy carnage.  Lord of Darkness is a military strategy game and there's lots of Japanese tradition thrown in on top of that.  You can expect Nobunaga to rear his ugly head in October for the SNES.

	Nowadays the career opportunities for someone who wants to be a global explorer are somewhat limited, but they can soon pick up a copy of New Horizons, the game for all those would-be Ponce de Leons.  There are six characters to choose from and over 130 places to visit.  Get spices from the natives.  Fight pirates.  Discover new continents.  Stuff like that.  The SNES version will be available in mid-October, and the Genesis version in early November.

	Celtic Tales: The Balor of the Evil Eye is a role-playing adventure for the PC which promises, if nothing else, to be different.  The early Celtic tribes of Ireland have certainly never been used as the basis for a computer game before now.   The player chooses between eight gods and demigods from Celtic mythology, and must use his power and influence to save the people of Eire from their Other World enemies, the Fomors, led by Balor. The adventure begins in September.

	As mentioned earlier, Koei does have one arcade style title in the works:  the aptly titled Stop That Roach.  Really, what more needs to be said?  There are roaches in the kitchen, and you would prefer that there not be, so you attack them with whatever household implement is closest.  No, this is not a major strategy title, it's just some silliness for the Game Boy, and you can expect it in late August. Finally, a game about real life.