Montebello (Canons en Carton)

This is another entry in the prolific Jours de Gloire series by the
great Fredric Bey of Vae Victis fame, who gives us another battle from
the early years of the Napoleonic adventure. This small battle fought in
1800 between the French and the Austrian armies on italian soil is a
very good addition to the series (for a glimpse of the system you may
take a look at my review of Rivoli here on Grognard). 

On a field of battle equally divided among plains and gentle hills
moving from the bottom of the map to the center of it, two small and
balanced armies fight for the control of the village of Casteggio (3
victory points hexes) for 12 turns (about two-three hours to complete
the game), with a costant see-saw effect on the hexes surrounding the
village. 

I've played two times the battle in solitaire and each time the victory
went to the Austrians but with an almost equal result for both armies. I
find the game very well balanced, interesting to play more than a couple
of times, very rich and colorful for a DTP (it's very similar to a Vae
Victis game) and a worth addition to any grognard out there. 

I rate the game 7 in a 1-10 scale

Roberto Chiavini