Vast flotillas of warships under an umbrella of air power will soon be striking at bases across the Pacific ocean in a bid for total regional domination in KE Studios' debut strategy title, War Plan Pacific. Shrapnel Games is looking for a few good men (or women, but really, how many women are into grand strategic wargames?) to ensure smooth sailing. If you're interested in enlisting in the USN and IJN for a brief tour of duty before the rest of the world gets in on the action please read on.

We are looking for additional beta testers for War Plan Pacific. Interested parties should meet the following requirements:

• Possess a computer with at least the following minimum specifications: Windows XP/Vista, Celeron 1.6 MHz, 512 MB RAM, 100 MB free hard drive space, a DirectX 9.0c compatible video card capable of rendering at 1024x768x24 bit. Even your grandmother probably has a computer capable of participating in the beta test.
• Have an interest in a Pacific theater game that can completed from Pearl Harbor to the bombing of Nagasaki in a single evening.
• Be able to fully participate in the beta test for approximately three months. Ideally you'll talk, laugh, and cry in the beta forum about the game. Be prepared to vocalize your opinions, communicate ideas, and most of all give feedback. Beta testing isn't all glitz and glamour ya know, you're going to have to work. Of course work being playing the game, so it's definitely not the worst job you've ever had.

If you meet the above and want to give it a shot please write to Annette at annette@shrapnelgames.com and put in the subject line "WPP Beta Tester" and acknowledge in the message body that you meet the requirements. We only have a select number of open slots so please be aware that participants will be chosen on a first come basis.

If you are chosen as a beta participant expect the testing period to begin quite soon (as early as within a week) and you'll be expected to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. At the end of testing not only will you have the satisfaction of helping bring to market a great title, but you'll also earn yourself a copy when the game ships.

And remember: Beta testing. It's not just a job, it's an adventure.

It should have been just another December Sunday morning. It wasn't. Scores of aircraft dropped from the sky, blood red suns adorning their wings, unleashing a Hell borne from bullet, bomb, and torpedo. Body and hull shattered, blood and oil staining the Hawaiian waters as most of the United States' Pacific Fleet was transformed into a mangled wreck of flesh and steel within hours. As bad as the carnage was it was but a sign of the days to come, as the greatest naval conflict the world had ever seen- or would see- erupted upon that infamous day. Forged in the flames of Pearl Harbor this conflict would only end in the atomic flames of Nagasaki.

War Plan Pacific is a turn-based computer wargame for one or two players (IP based multiplayer capability) covering the entire war in the Pacific from 1941 until 1945.

Focusing on power projection through the use of a strong navy, players will assume the role of the heads of either the Imperial Japanese Navy or the United States Navy (along with allied British, Australian, and Dutch forces), commanding a historical force mix in a total war aimed at achieving nothing less than an unconditional surrender of the enemy.

Individual ships of light cruiser size and larger are represented, and each turn represents one month of real world time.

The Japanese player faces a challenging road to victory, although victory is possible through either a quick win or a slow win. He can cut the vital US to Australia sea lines, isolating Australia and thus denying the US its important forward and submarine bases necessary to march steadily towards Japan. If denied for six months the Japanese will win. This is the quick win for the IJN. The slow win involves staving off total defeat until 1946. To do so the Japanese has to do more than hold onto a few ships and bases though, as both the loss of oil or a successful strategic bombing campaign (which also abstractly culminates in the atomic bombings of the mainland) will spell defeat for the Japanese.

Long time wargamers who are familiar with Avalon Hill's classic Victory In The Pacific will feel right at home with War Plan Pacific. This is not a game that seeks to track every single widget, bullet, and drop of sweat in the Pacific theater, but rather one that allows the entire war to be fought in a single session. As lead designer and KE Studios' founder John Hawkins says, "Put the kids to bed, play a full game, be in bed yourself by midnight." Eschewing hexes, War Plan Pacific uses a system of twenty-nine important bases. Your naval forces are either found around the bases or in transit. The speed of your task force determines transit time, something to keep in mind when planning an assault involving task forces from all over the Pacific.

War Plan Pacific is a game of naval conflict, with land combat represented by the taking of bases through the successful use of sea power. And while the game abstracts several elements to make it playable in a few hours, its heart beats a historical reality. Naval forces arrive on a historical timetable. The Japanese long lance torpedo is a thorn in the USN's side. Players can attempt to recreate the Doolittle raid, tying up Japanese coastal forces for months, or as the IJN scare the Hell out of the American public by shelling the West Coast. Try out historical strategies, or try out your own. What will be your turning point? Coral Sea? Midway? Guadalcanal?

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