Play Encyclopedia of War - Ancient Battles Online

I first played Encyclopedia of War: Ancient Battles on an old MS-DOS machine; it was part of a collection of classic games, though I don't recall the publisher. It fit right in with the strategy titles of that era, offering depth without much visual flair.

You command historical armies, positioning units like hoplites and chariots on a grid before each engagement. The main goal is to outmaneuver and destroy the enemy force using terrain and unit strengths. Key mechanics include flanking for morale penalties and managing fatigue over long battles. The pace is deliberate, almost methodical, and mistakes are punishing. It feels like directing a messy, unpredictable historical reenactment from a general's tent.

Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".