PC strategy games for on the road
 

I will be taking a 2 week trip next month and wanted to pick up a strategy game for my laptop, something that I could play here and there to kill time, I'm not looking for any character games (Rainbow Six/Ghost Recon), which are my favorite, those are for my X360.

Does anyone have any good strategy games they play on the road? Yesterday at Fry's I noticed some CSI/"evidence" type games where they gave you clues and you have to figure out who commited the crime.

And are there any that can be played online with other players?

Thanks

Personally I like Rollercoaster Tycoon - not too intense to actually be work ;). I am not sure if you would call it strategy though, but it is a great way to kill some time.

If you haven't played it already I would recommend Age of Mythology (and the Titans expansion) for a real-time strategy game that is story driven.

For turn-based I would recommend Alpha Centauri, Heroes of Might and Magic III and Civilization.

Online Strategy Wargames
 

You may be interested in specific type of strategy game called "wargames" modeled after history, that can be played either face-to-face as a physical boardgame or via internet (with elex copies of board map & pieces). These wargames are more sophisticated and intellectually challenging than simpler strategy boardgames like "RISK" or "Axis & Allies" or "Civilization" or "History of the World". See brief introduction for wargames at http://www.wargamereplays.com/

A list of top 5 favorite amongst many new & long-time wargamers, are card-driven wargames that provide accuarate historical simulation of nail-biting tensions because of imperfect information (unlike traditional simpler board wargames, where you get to move every piece when it's your turn, because somehow the game assumes you have perfect information at the time of play, which is rare). They include:

(1) Wilderness War (WW) - 1750s simulation of French & American Indians vs British & Americans (this the part of the first global war, Thirty Years War)

(2) For the People (FTP) - 1860s American Civil War simulation (FTP is considered by many wargamers to be not only the best simulation amongst many versions of American Civil War games, but also the best wargame of any genre. FTP not only simulates what happened, but what could have happened if both Union & Confederates used different but plausible strategies.)

(3) Paths of Glory (POG) - WWI simulation of Land operations primarily (POG is considered to be best WWI simulation game, with hundreds of online games being played any one time)

(4) Barbarossa to Berlin (BTB) - WWII simulation of Europe,Russia,N.Africa focusing on land operations primarily (BTB is considered to be a top WWII simulation game, with also hundreds of online games being played any one time)

(5) Empire of the Sun (EOTS) - WWII simulation of Pacific & China & SE Asia, focusing on air-land-sea operations (This game is the most complex of the 5 because of myriad rules to understand)


If you are ready to try these wargames, click below link for FAQ & PBEM (play by email) games & tournament, for BTB & FTP, which gives you enough info on how to play all card-driven wargames
http://www.wargamereplays.com/btb/btb07pbemFAQ.html
http://www.geocities.com/pzmcgwire/ftppbemladder

Have fun