Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2018
The Operational Art of War IV
Developer TrickeySoft LLC
The Operational Art of War (TOAW) is a series of computer wargames noted for their scope, detail, and flexibility in recreating, at an operational level, the major land battles of the 20th century. A Norm Koger design, TalonSoft published the first of the series in 1998. Matrix Games bought the rights to the franchise and re-released the game in 2006 as TOAW 3. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
177 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Sep 11, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
78
LovedLoved
131 positive · 37 negative
95% range 71–84%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 131 | 37 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
9 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
307 of 381 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 177 · most liked firstOVERALL: 9/10 The Operational Art of War, the giant of 90s wargames is back, updated, polished, with more scenarios than ever (over 200 and counting). This wargame succeeds at something that is quite remarkable: creating a combat systems that can cover any conflict between the 18th century and the modern era. Scenarios can be anywhere between 15 and hundreds turns long, can have a handful of units or up to 2,000 on each side. You can choose the battle of Waterloo, the whole WWII Pacific…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disappointed with this. Sorry if you're the developer and worked hard on this but the UI is still the same sluggish crap with the weird tierd zoom of which no tier is comfortable (to me). The game in itself might be good but the UI makes it a chore. Things like sound volume, fullscreen, panning the map are all terrible in my opinion. Getting the right scenario to start with (tutorial, ok where is the explanation) everything is a chore (for which there probably is an answer somewhere deep in the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →tl;dr: This game is actually hundreds of games, utilizing a highly flexible and complex game engine, and includes a scenario editor. Its a bargain at twice the price. It is definitely a little dated. If you like wargames, don't hesitate. You'll get hundreds of hours out of it. I have been playing this game, on and off, for over twenty years. There is a reason I keep playing this game. I love the old hex wargames of the 70s and 80s. But I absolutely hate math, and I am deeply lazy. The old…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A difficult game that, honestly, I'm not very good at, in spite of the time I've spent on it. I've won at Iwo Jima, but good grief; if you can't beat the Japanese on Iwo Jima, you've got big problems. Still, this is a fun game and is very challenging. I've fought several battles in the middle east, fought on the Eastern Front...And I always lose. I'm about to start again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played TOAW3? You will love this. This game is a system that can model battles from the 1800's through to the 21st Century. It comes with a shed load of scenarios of different size / length / complexity and from different wars. I think it is about 200 - plus there are a bunch more you can find on the net - including you can port over TOAW 3 scenarios. The graphics are low key, but this is a game that does not need fancy graphics. I am at about 60 hours play now - all on 3 different…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If someone likes the war board games with counters he will probably like the game. I like such a games. I simply cannot give the game a positive note because the game has bugs that cannot be acceptable for a game on steam and in this price. The main issue I have encountered is that I cannot save the game - there is some kinf of error. Moreover music and sound don't run. Finally, I find unacceptable that steam doesn't want to refund money because "I played more than two hours" - it is obvious…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thumbs up to make up for the thumbs down from the guy that thought there were only three scenarios. Click the folder button!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty dank. I love nothing more than getting immersed into a deep wargame and sending millions of men to their deaths. My only complaints are: 1. The U.I is not that great. I hope the devs take some inspiration from Gary Grigsby's games which have a wonderful easy to look at UI. 2. I want it to be even deeper and simulate even more.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It could be such a great game. - why the user interface have to be so atrocious is beyond me - no basic functionality like unselecting a unit (no joke) - battle planer is wildly innacurate and many of the propabilities are hidden from a player. It's not a problem in a single player where you save/load and undo like crazy but for multi (and I've bought it on steam for multi only) it's a no-go - please stop hiding from me combat factors to emulate "real comander on a field of battle", I'm not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For some reason, the UI in this 4th iteration is slower and more clunky than TOAW III. I can only think of a few complaints I had about 3 and it (TOAW3) was the pinnacle of this series. I'm not sure why they took what was close to being perfect about 3 and tried to create a new UI interface, that again has numerous graphical bugs (screen refresh problems, portions of the map that get stuck under the UI and move with it). Heck, the background of the landing screen of the game is the wrong…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to give this a fair shake because it's one of the wargames that is recommended CONSTANTLY alongside the Gary Grigsby games, but I'm on a 2k monitor and can't read any of the microscopic text. I'm sure it's a fine game if you're on a 800x600 monitor from 1998, but this is not something that should be made om the current decade without UI scaling. Also completely lacks and sort of volume control, so enjoy having your eardrums blasted out while you frantically try to figure out how to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This product is falsely advertised as a “new generation of wargames” among other false statements. The game was made in 1998 and nothing has changed. It is part of an old generation of wargames. The so-called more than 200 scenarios is badly organized in hard to find folders due to Windows 98 format. Like most Slitherine/Matrix products, this game is outdated and may not work on some systems. I reported this product to Steam for legal violation due to its false advertising. Utterly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have been playing the TOAW series since it first came out in 1998, back then released by TalonSoft, and now in it's current version as TOAW IV from Matrix Games. Hands down there is no other (I mean none) computer war game that has the depth and breadth as TOAW. You can simulate any military conflict from squad level to army level (although in my experience company sized units should be the lowest to use) and from 0.25 km to 200 km per hex and each turn can range from 1 hour per turn to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Know before you buy. I’d call this more of a “wargamer tabletop simulator” that happens to have a pretty good fan base. This is helped by the backwards compatibility with scenarios made for the previous versions of the game. So you’re going to have a lot of scenarios to play from, which is probably the biggest sell point. Because of the "tabletop" nature, each scenario is almost like its own game, with its own documentation, bugs, quirks etc. The authors often take a long time to build, test,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Take this negative review with a grain or two of salt. This game has so much potential for customization. Down to individual unit's equipment, squad-level tactics, all the way up to theatre command, everything can be micromanaged. You can customize maps and scenerios to your exact specifications, from hex size to victory conditions to how proficient and supplied each side's troops are. And that's about where the good stops. I have played games like this ranging from hoi3/4 to panzer corps…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another oldskool turn-based strategy title published by Slitherine, this title doesn't offer you much evidence of advance in computer graphics over the last two decades. Rather it wins over your heart and souls with the sophistication of its rules and treatment of the subject. Addressing a vital niche, the game is a must buy for anyone with an operational layer fixation, and lets you simulate basically any campaign or major battle from the last 100 years or so. The long history of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For now its a no, and refund, bad for me, the game seems fun, but not being able to play with fullscreen is a killer for me! i Know now its a fix for that now, but for a pricy game like this i dont like to trix and fix, then thay have fix it i can buy it back not before, Play in 2560 x 1440 and sometimes in 1366x768, no one worked for me, Will see if it get fixed then i will set Like here, and buy back
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll recommend it as a strong successor to TOAW3, but despite so much of the design and style carrying over from it's predecessor, this version seems buggy and sluggish to respond in comparison, not to mention some elements don't appear to be fully completed or just forgotten (the UI in general lacks polish). Despite these issues, it's still a buy for me as there isn't much that comes close in terms of a sandbox, turn-based, highly detailed, operational level simulation.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I debated long and hard before I bought this, even though it was on sale. Even though reviews were pretty positive on the whole, there were some things I read that had me on the fence and leaning rather heavily towards not buying it. The biggest issue I had was with the supposedly only scripted AI. I say supposedly because with research I found this is not true. Scripting is available for scenario developers but there is an underlying AI as well. The second biggest issue was the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As far as war games go this is probably the best. I have WiTE, WiTW, Flashpoint, Panzercorps, Strategic Command, etc. I always come back to TOAW4, because it adds more tactical choices in attacks and defense. For instance Gary Grigsby uses a deliberative and hasty attack system. Don't get me wrong... Gary Grigsby makes some amazing wargames and you can do a lot with the operational situation just using those two types of attacks. However, TOAW4 has methods of limiting losses, planning attacks,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This review includes suggestions for those new to the genre. tl;dr: If you don't want to put/have the time to learn, don't like more abstract games, hate the graphics (as shown in screen shots) don't like time limit and pressure, then you should pass. Otherwise, I recommend trying it out if there is a hunch that you might enjoy it--I'm glad I did. I had not played games in this genre before (learned to read NATO counters to play). Starting out, I read the manual, referenced resources other…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →NOTE: I played this game hundreds of hours before it was on steam. I am a board wargame designer/publisher at www.consimsltd.com and I can promise this is the finest wargame on ground warfare that you can spend money on. Completely versatile, can simulate multiple periods and theaters of war, if you can only buy one wargame on steam, make it this one, if you want a serious simulator and wargame, other than CMANO (which is more focused on air/naval), this is your best bet.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best operational level wargaming software on this planet, period. Aside from smooth gameplay experience, detailed TOE and OOB and unit status reports, vivid terrain representations on the gaming board, intuitive turn-based game flow, the greatest value of this piece of software lies in its fxxking awesome scenario editor. Without it, I would probably call this a pretty good game. With it, this game turns into an ingenious tool that can turn any military conflict imaginable into a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →(played more non-Steam, still not that much, so I could overlook something) IMO perfect balance of deepness and smooth, pleasant and satisfactory gameplay as for "token on hex" type of game. Basically modernized and expanded TOAW III (even uses same sounds and music, IIRC), which I loved years ago. Great battle planer feature. Sane AI (IMHO) - appreciated. Many factors to consider or ignore, detailed report data after each battle etc., yet all well distributed, thus not overwhelming. Lots of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I play this mainly offline, so I played more than the time showed. PROS: - Solid and interesting game engine. - Lots of different scenarios, both historical and hypotetical from the american independence war to our days, some with a massive scale. - There is a community where anyone can post the scenario he created. CONS: - Not properly a problem of the game, but in various cases the side that lost in history was weaker than the victor, so playing the scenarios related to these conflicts can…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game itself is superb: a massive military simulation sandbox focusing at the operational level, without tying you specifically to WW2 (although there is a huge number of great WW2 scenarios if that is your thing, from smaller, shorter battles, to the entire Operation Barbarossa campaign with huge numbers of units). A casual gamer, with no knowledge of real world war technology, will likely need to spend some time researching exactly how to go about playing this game, as did I, but it awoke…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a total let down. The game crashes all the time, I have to wait for few minutes before the menu buttons become responsive, I don't get the full screen. Is it so hard in 2018 to make a game with such a simple graphics to run smoothly? And yes, I'm battling the suicide thoughts while trying to go through the manual, which it the most useless ( incoherent and badly organized ), I've seen in years. In the future, Matrix/Slitherine should start employing some serious producers, if they don't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not buy this. This game is a broken game. The Operational Art of War III worked very well. Some meathead got their hands on this and broke it. BUYER BEWARE !
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best Wargames ever made. AI is one of the most immersive and realistic foes you can battle with. Playing through Directive 21 (Operation barbarossa to end of the war) Total 400+ turns is a blast. The dynamic and replayable nature of this simulator is what makes it so compeling. Most definately worth a buy, it is pricey but well worth all the content you get with. It simulates every war you can possible imagine. You're free to create your own!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In short IT'S OBSOLETE. Yes not only graphic but the engine is like 30 years ago. This graphic and clumsy GUI interaction... Com'on even a bachelor computer science student would spawn a thread handling GUI component callbacks! The engine is still a board game with formula like dice + attacking/defending points + some other metrics, nothing quite dynamic like neighboring units joining the battle (being calculated as combat factors maybe?). So it's much easier, and way too easy to envelop enemy…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like turn based, older chit boardgames (like Avalon Hill, SPI), then this sure beats trying to: Find an opponent, taking a while to set up the board and then try and calculate all your combats. Then the board gets bumped... I enjoyed an earlier version of this game and this has a lot more battles to enjoy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you were ever a board gamer, played SSI, Avalon Hill, Squad Leader then yes you will love this game. All the overhead is nicely bundled into the game itself, no more stacks of cardboard 'status' counters (oh well ;-) ), its about Logistics and planning yet very personable in that when you loose that favorite unit you will cry or declare the Gods unjust! If not, all good. While there is no "shoot'em up's" per 'se, its a game format for some thought and a deep breath as you ride the winds…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best operational scale strategy games available. Huge number of scenarios, and awesome replayability. Don't let my time lead you on - I've played hundreds of hours of the non-steam version. Not for the faint of heart, but for the true grognard only.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An excellent game, though it could use some further polishment, as many other reviews have stated. I will not try to give yet another full review as the other ones already here did the job well enough. I will just comment on one aspect alone, which for me jusifies buying this game. The thing I want to comment is that the AI is VERY good. It surprises me every turn and makes for an excellent challenge. So I am playing this 1941-1943 north africa scenario, as the Axis forces. My units start in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Operational Art of War IV finally on Steam, and only RM65 in Malaysia, thanks Matrix game for being kind.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I started playing TOAW way back in the 90's when I saw a copy in Babbage's computer game store. I was hooked form the get go and purchased every version of the game and devoted probably several hundreds of hours gameplay. It's nice to see the game still around and somewhat updated. I just wish I could move around the map with WASD.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Highly Recommended 10/10. As many reviews have mentioned the UI is horrible, but you are getting literally hundreds of games, potentially an infinite amount with the purchase. The game is complicated, so if you do not enjoy learning (as the first 50 hours will be spent on learning the rules of the game) then you should probably skip this title. A prerequisite is the ability to read (the whole manual) and the ability to enjoy this reading and figuring the game out. That is, you must be…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TOAW was an outstanding game until TOAW IV. Instead of improving on the game from TOAW III, the new version added some features that do not enhance the playabillity or improve upon game play. If you already own III save your money and do not buy IV.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its like playing the best of 50 board games on one PC.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not buy, TOO BUGGY! Stay with TOAW-III. This is amateur code from the community not a real product. It doesn't really do anything TOAW-III didn't do so stick with that. If this was priced like a community project then I could work through the bugs and odd behaviors. Given it's full priced I expect it to work like professional software and it does not. This did get me back into playing TOAW-III, which I love.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Operational Art of War IV, developed by TrickeySoft LLC and published by Matrix Games, is a strategy simulation designed for players who want military planning on a massive scale. Rather than focusing on quick battles or simplified warfare systems, the game dives deep into operational-level command, challenging players to think like military planners responsible for entire campaigns instead of isolated battlefield encounters. It is a title built around patience, analysis, and careful…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Old school wargame with endless opportunities for scenarios. Hundreds of scenarios available online if you go to the Matrix forum site for this game. More features being designed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game kept crashing during AI's turns, especially when lots of attacks were planned and calculated.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It took me a little while to get into this game, but now that i know the basics, its a phenomenal program. I tend to like battalion level war gaming, but this game is pilling me on divisional and corp level. I love the napoleon and Franco-Prussian war scenarios. Great game and worth the cost!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sounds great on paper. In reality a disappointing poorly-executed mess. We wargamers don't ask for much in the way of graphics or friendly UI, but this would have been considered janky & dated 25 years ago. The UI doesn't run smoothly (constant delays, stutters, slowdowns), graphics are somehow worse than the screenshots indicate, the scenarios are just a random grab bag with no attempt at quality control. The entire in-game experience is just vaguely unpleasant to navigate. It's really a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Allows you to play a vast range of battles from the 20th century. Much of the mechanics are calculated for you - but understanding these is the key to success. A bargain price considering the more limited scope of similar wargames such as the Gary Grigsby series.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The UI performance is problematic on Windows 10, for example UI will freeze when some units retreat when attacked. The problem is gone when you run games on Windows 7 or compatibility mode on Windows 10 (start Opart 4 - Slow.exe with Windows 7 compatibility mode), but it feels annoying to me. Other problems may be due to legacy settings inherited from TOAW3, a classic old game working perfectly on low res screen and win xp, but this setting makes the icon too small and hard to recognise on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rather dated graphics, but fun to play. The editor allows you to do "what if" modifications. What if a democratic government had taken in Russia in the twenties? Would the Russian military be better prepared for the war? I modified the supply, fortification, shock levels, didn't invade Poland, Latvia, Estonia to modify initial dispositions, etc. Great for alternate history buffs like me to tinker with. I actually changed one of the complete war in Russia scenarios to one day turns and modified…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is still one of the best hex based wargames on the market. My friends and I use it a lot for play by email. It has evolved over several years.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Requesting refund because the game does not work properly, GUI issues, only three scenarios available. Can't be bothered of investing time on a not polished game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great litmus test for wargames. If a war depicted isn't as good as it is depicted in this game, then there's no point. Scenarios included that I fw -Singapore 1942 (I wrote a book set here, and its never been depicted in a serious wargame. Closest is the Burma Road campaign for Order of Battle: WW2, but that's very beer and pretzels) -US invasion of Grenada 1983 (Very obscure, very small, very cool) -Korean War (As far as I know, this is the only grognard depiction of the conflict). -Fire…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For those who enjoy strategic/tactical wargames based on actual historical battles and campaigns (i.e., the old Avalon Hill board games or computer versions) this is a dream come true. As an avid reader of military history (particularly WWI and WWII) it is fascinating to play out certain campaigns, with actual historical units represented. This is a hex and counter style game, not a game with heavy graphics depicting actual battles. It is as if you are the commanding general at HQ,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A bit of digital #wargaming continuing the 1948 scenario using the Operational Art of War IV. Playing Israel against AI Arab League.
unlabelledView post →A solid, old-school turn-based wargame. It has a steep learning-curve and complex gameplay. The manual requires at least one read-through, cover to cover. Each turn of the game demands thought and deep consideration. The player is required to take on the combined roles of a commanding officer, executive officer, operations officer, and staff officer. The player also has to do most of their paper-work. If that doesn't terrify you, you'll love this game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its one of the greats as far as Operational Wargaming goes. It is so versatile--covering engagements from Civil War era to current--and actually pulls it off. Because Units are actually made up of individual pieces of equipment, and scaled to whatever time and distance scale you are using for the scenerio--it is able to model almost any engagement you can dream up--from months long WW2 operations down to a small skirmish in the modern day Congo. I have 200 hours as of this review--and for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At this moment, TOAW IV is the best operational level wargaming simulation. Strongly recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Grognards will love this game. Fans of easy gameplay and immersive graphics will not. Don't expect to see cavalry charges and explosions. Think moving pieces on a chessboard, but with hundreds of unique pieces. A grognard is a hard core wargamer who values accuracy over playability. Wargames started during the Napoleonic era. Miniatures, then cardboard counters, then computers used markers or counters which identify the unit and its attack and defense capabilities movement, morale and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →an excellent game, still stands as a solid, thoughtful game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game crashes/freezes every time after moving several units.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Classic tabletop wargaming in digital format. Wide range of scenarios from Napoleon to modern day Ukraine. Comprehensive scenario editor.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.