Few countries will start the game with a balanced economy. Expect to fine-tune your resources, your social programs, and many other factors until things are running smoothly. Supreme Ruler 2010 gives you unprecedented control over every aspect of your nation. You can control your access to raw materials, whether to emphasize research & development. You can even replace an incompetent minister, if you decide he (or she) is the problem.

All the time that I’m maneuvering my armies, or deciding what units to buy next, I’ve got one eye on my bank balance. If it goes negative, that means no more trips to the toy store until I clean up my country. Supreme Ruler 2010 is a great game because it gives you control over so many aspects of your country’s operation. That also means you have many elaborate ways to fail. You’ll have to learn how to spot trouble, figure out what’s wrong, fix what’s broken, and how to make it grow.

You can build and develop your own army, outfitted and trained to suit your specific style. Supreme Ruler 2010 provides a long list of unit types that allow you to construct a balanced, sophisticated military force. You can go for combined arms or specialize. It covers all the branches, so you’ll have to make decisions about ground, air, and naval units. Those units can also be upgraded and given specialized training. And of course you can rename them.

You won’t be able to buy everything you want. You’ll need lots of ground units, of course, and they have to be positioned at bases that you’ll probably have to build. Air power is hellishly expensive, but a second-class air force gets you second place in a war. Naval units are even more expensive, and if you’re not certain of fighting a naval war, they’re wasted effort.

The first thing to do is to look hard at your geography. Know your borders, the type of terrain you’re defending, and the type of terrain you might have to move into. Also, look at your road and rail net. You have the ability to build roads. Your military bases and border areas should be linked by a robust transport net.

It’s likely that there will be vulnerabilities in your geography. Cities close to the border, for instance. Your job is to identify those vulnerabilities and correct them. It might seem costly to make those fixes, but look at the potential cost if you don’t.

Next, look at your neighbors – hard. What are their strengths and weaknesses? This is not just their military forces. Look at where their resources are, and how their transport nets are arranged. Who are they trading with? Allied with?

Now, having as clear a picture as possible, hit the “U” key and look at your own military. What are their types? Where are they concentrated? Most importantly, do they match the threat you face? Can you defend your territory effectively?