"A wonderful classic"

Earl Weaver Baseball v 1.5 was released in 1989 (or 1988, I'm not entirely sure) by Electronic Arts. In its day it was hailed as one of the greatest simulation baseball games on the market, if not among the greatest ever. It gathered a relatively loyal following for several years, even spawning a sequel. Some still consider this to be one of the greatest baseball games ever for PC or any console system, though because of how outdated it is (and because it not very compatible with all Windows OS systems after Windows 3.11) it has more or less died out and isn't played much. The game is for 1 or 2 players at once (like always 2 is more fun), but theoretically you could have up to 32 teams in a Weaver League managed by 32 different players (Yoiks!). Note that on graphics and sounds I'm comparing it to PC games circa 1989.

Graphics/Sounds 7:

By todays standards, the game is terrible here, but in its time they were quite adequate. Most importantly, the graphics and sounds didn't get in the way of game play, which has happened in other sports games I've played that put too much emphasis on graphics. Yes, I'll probably take a beating on my good review of this category, but I really feel that they were fine for their time.

Fun Factor 10:

Absolutely brilliant if you are a baseball fan that loves baseball strategy.

Replay Value 10:

Hey, I still play this game some now, and it is still my favorite baseball game of all time.

User-friendly 9:

Easy to use game style and general menus.

In-Depth Simulation 10:

Stats and strategy are key. This game is best when the player has an in-depth understanding of baseball strategy, especially on head to head matchups of pitcher vs. hitter, and understands how to balance a line-up and a pitching staff properly. You really can't win this game with just any players or strategy because you will always be able to out-play the computer like you can in some sports games. You have to know what you are doing. You can control every aspect of the game, from being the general manager, to drafting, to creating/altering stats, to playing the game yourself (if you wish, it is highly recommended to do the ''Manage Only'' option).

Overall 10:

I forgive the graphics and sounds because of how great other aspects of game play are. A wonderful job by Eddie D. and Electronic Arts!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/11/03, Updated 02/11/03