From: Roberto Chiavini <mumaye@mail.dada.it> 
Subject: Three reviews - good one 

Gauntlet (Strategy & Tactics)

A note for the readers: this is more a first impression on the game
based on the reading of the rules and the set-up of the game. I'ven't
played the game, so there are no comments of the play itself.

Classic magazine-game, with all the flaws usually associated with such a
kind of product. So, we have several mistakes in the package (not really
terrible, but annoyingly enough), most of all the fact that two pages of
tables that you need to play are in the magazine and not in the rules
insert. More, there are several errors on the counters (a fact that
makes the sorting of the pieces more difficult than should be).

Anyway, these are not really the things that make a game good or bad for
my tastes. The subject of this game is the battle for North Korea in
late 1950, when the Chinese stopped the United Nations march toward
China and in the counterattack retook the North Korean capital,
Pyongyang. 

The scale is operational, with mostly regimental/battalion counters.
Graphics for the map and the counters is honest, usual for a S&T game,
but not particularly inspired (especially the counters that are really
not exciting).

The rules, by Joe Miranda, are well written and easy to understand. 

The sequence of play is Random Events Phase, then the UN player starts
is turn placing reinforcements, allocating air missions (very detailed,
with three kinds of aircraft - TAC, SAC e MAC types, for strategic,
tactical support and Air supply and transport), reorganizing units (with
a complex breakdown/recombine units), then moving and having combat
(with air and artillery support and breakthrough movement for a few kind
of units), finishing his turn with a recovery phase (for his disrupted
units) and the Air Interdiction phase. Then is the Chinese turn to make
the same things, but without the air units. There are two scenarios,
both of 13 turns length, with the initial UN attack toward China, and
then the Chinese counterattack. There are rules for fog of war, surprise
attacks, bridge demolition and several alternative reinforcement
options.

Victory is based on enemy elimination, territorial control and exiting
units from the south border (with the UN player that receive points at
least equal to the Chinese for this operation, forcing them to not
retreat too early).