At the start of the 18th Century, Sweden was the undisputed power in the Baltic region and a dominant force in Northern Europe. However, the Swedish empire was in the way of the regional ambitions of Russia, Saxony and Denmark – who had several scores to settle with the Swedes. With the accession of the boy King Charles XII to the Swedish throne in 1700, Russia, Denmark and Saxony saw an opportunity. They formed an alliance and struck at Swedish territories hoping for a swift and decisive victory. However, they had seriously miscalculated the strength of the Swedish military and the resolve of their new monarch and by 1701 all had been defeated. Their attack launched a grueling 21 year war which would drag other countries into the conflict. The Great Northern War highlighted the military genius of Charles XII and the resilience of the Swedish military who held off defeat for 21 years. It also saw the rise of Tsar Peter I who reformed the Russian military and adapted tactics and strategy to play to Russian strengths which would ultimately defeat an exhausted Sweden. The Great Northern War includes 69 Scenarios – covering all sizes and situations, including a solo tutorial scenario plus specialized versions for both head to head play and vs. the computer AI. There are also 5 Campaigns included with the game.