You can get a lot of opinions on that question. First I would say that I've found all the games I own to be very well done so they are equal in that aspect. Second would be is there a battle in this period that catches your fancy? If so then I wouldn't be afraid to get that game. However if you are new to the period in history and gaming then I would recommend Gettysburg, Peninsula, or Shiloh. Gettysburg is easily the most written about and it will be the easiest to find the background information on. Peninsula and Shiloh will be widely written about just not as much as Gettysburg. My preference so far is Gettysburg. It has a wide open campaign system with huge maps and pits the two main antagonists in the war, the ANV and AoP. I've played 5 or 6 campaigns and only had one that actually led to a Battle of Gettysburg and it was a slight variation. Even that gives a huge map that gives each side a lot of room to maneuver and fight the battle differently. If you want to see some screenshots and read some narrative I've been doing an AAR on an entire campaign over at the SZO forums. You can read them here:
http://www.strategyzoneonline.com/forums....php?f=184
They are the threads titled Gettysburg, Gettysburg II, etc. I like Peninsula as the armies are more evenly matched in numbers and quality at this stage of the war. It is not really the entire Peninsula campaign but rather starts as McClellan approaches Richmond. If you like monster battles this one lets you play out the whole Seven Days campaign as one big scenario. Just into my first Shiloh Campaign so can't comment too much on it except to say I've found it to be enjoyable so far. Corinth is a jewel of a game but it covers a much less known battle. For a first timer though the smaller maps and forces might be easier to manage. Franklin is well done but I've found it to be a bit one sided in the scenarios so far so it is not as favorite as the others. Don't own Ozark so can't comment on it. And of course Vicksburg has just been released and I know even less of it. In the end Gettysburg has proven to be my favorite for the variation and the huge maps allowing for a wide range of maneuvering to bring about battle and a chance to kick ol' Bobby Lee's rear.
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