Focusing on naval and airborne battles between May 1942 and December 1943, Uncommon Valor: Campaign for the South Pacific offers 2D turn-based action in 19 historical and "what-if" scenarios including campaigns for New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, and the Solomon Islands. Veteran war game designer Gary Grigsby's team of developers provide players with a wide selection of in-depth customization options and details, ranging from critical hit locations on individual ships and experience ratings for crews in day and night combat to incidental damage from weather.
More than 200 ship classes and nearly every type of aircraft that saw action in the South Pacific during WWII are available from a vast database. Players will track hundreds of individual aircraft, ships, vehicles, guns and squads, factor in unit strengths and weaknesses (pilot experience, ship gun range, and so forth), and manage every aspect of battle from transports and mine warfare to sub patrols and reconnaissance flights. Ground units, air units, task force missions and more are monitored with an array of screen reports and databases as battles rage in a variety of terrain including jungles, mountains, roads, coastal areas, beaches, rivers, and the ocean.
In addition to solo play against a savvy computer AI, Uncommon Valor: Campaign for the South Pacific supports play-by-email (PBEM) or head-to-head "hot-seat" action for two players. A hypothetical battle tutorial is offered in the short printed manual and a comprehensive manual is provided in .PDF format on the CD.