"It's already available in the States and should be available here within 4-6 weeks.", I wrote in the news feature last issue. So Solitaire ASL (SASL) decides to enter Britain on the day I mail the issue out. Oh well.

For £29.95, you get 22 pages of rules (Chapter S) and divider, numerous quick reference cards, one sheet of 260 counters, and 14 Mission cards. The production is up to the usual ASL standards, although table S17.82 is only partially printed on the divider, and also has different DRM listed (Bob McNamara has stated online that the rules are correct, and the extra DRM on the divider should be ignored).

The majority of the rules deal with the handling of enemy (or ENEMY in SASL-speak). Initially all you see are hoards of "S?" counters, which represent suspected enemy units. These remain in place until certain situations arise, such as a friendly unit moving within LOS of a S?, at which point a check is made to determine if the S? is an ENEMY unit, and if so, what sort of unit it is. Each nationality has its own set of tables for this purpose, with those for German, American, Russian and Partisan ENEMY forces included (the rest will eventually be released or printed in the annual).

Active ENEMY unit actions are determined primarily by DR on various tables, although there are a number of Automatic Actions which tend to over-ride any DR. Various rules deal with the handling of ENEMY fires, movement, routs and advances. The system itself is fairly straight-forward, but does require a lot of die rolling and table checking, something which tends to be inevitable in any sort of solitaire system.

The player must also contend with the problem of Command Control. Basically a unit can only perform any non RPh/RtPh activity in its Player Turn if it makes a Command DR or is within 2 hexes of a leader who has already made his Command DR. Since the DR is based on Morale, it is easier to attack with good troops, which is historically accurate. I would love to see this rule adapted to regular ASL (and suspect it probably will be).

SASL is designed to be used with its own Missions, rather than standard scenarios, which will no doubt disappoint some people. These cover a generic situation, such as "Cautious Advance", "Take The Highway" or "Tank Attack!". Most of the specifics, such as the mapboard, enemy placement, game length, and victory, are randomly determined before or during play, so no two Missions should be the same.

SASL also has a campaign game similar to those in RB or KGP. The rules suggest that one Mission be played per month of hostilities (or one per week for short campaigns such as Poland 39), but there seems to be no reason why you couldn't play more frequently (anyone for WW2 from Poland 1939 to Berlin 1945 day by day?).

My only reservation about SASL is that, like all solitaire games, you play on your own. To me, gaming is a social activity, and part of the fun of gaming is interacting with your opponent. You cannot simulate this with solitaire games (or computer games either).

Overall, SASL is a good system, which offers a good way to practice tactics and play of ASL without having to worry about making embarrassing mistakes in front of your opponent. I'm not sure if it's worth buying if you've got a regular FTF or PBM/PBEM opponent, but if you're a lone squad leader, then I'd have to recommend it.