[c_of_red]

DL = Down Load
CD = Compact Disk
The free game that you download has 5 secure slots for PBEM.
The CD game, which is the best deal since Manhatten at 39.95 $US, has 250 secure slots. The secure slots are needed since most people play the program (AI, although I hate the term artifical intelligence, since it is an oxymoron) and think they are the second coming of Rommel. Then they try another human aopponent and get their head handed to them. Since they cannot be beaten that bad and still keep their fantasey about being Rommel alive, they jump at the conclusion that their opponent HAS to be cheating, somehow.
So to avoid the problems and hurt feeling as reality sinks in, it is better to have the security. It is also better if the winner explains how and why they won to the loser, but that doesn't always happen. Some players are focused on winning and don't want their opponents to improve. Short sighted, but there it is.
The key to winning battles is suprise. If you have it and your opponent doesn't, then it requires real effort to lose. So naturally, the key to avoiding suprise is gaining information. Here is a tip; watch the information bar during the replay. All kinds of information there and it's free, in that you don't have to fight for it.
Example;
When the information bar tells me that a 155 battery is firing without a spotter, that tells me a bunch of things. I can count the number of messages and know how many batteries you had in that shoot. If I count the rounds, it will tell me how much of a delay you had on your arty request, which is a clue as to what your plan is. What you target and how many tell me things about your overall approach to the game and your knowledge of basic tactics. Spotted fire +LOS gives me a hint as to where your FO is and how many you have. The Program doesn't do any of these things. If you don't, then an experienced player will beat you as bad as you beat the program.