<s>
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1995	O
computer	B-Application
wargame	I-Application
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Strategic	O
Simulations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
was	O
critically	O
acclaimed	O
and	O
became	O
a	O
commercial	O
hit	O
,	O
with	O
sales	O
above	O
130,000	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
began	O
the	O
successful	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
series	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Modern	I-Application
Battles	I-Application
and	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
Matrix	O
Games	O
published	O
an	O
updated	O
re-release	O
of	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
entitled	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
:	O
World	O
at	O
War	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Infantry	O
are	O
mostly	O
in	O
squad/section	O
sized	O
units	O
(	O
8-12	O
men	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
some	O
units	O
,	O
like	O
snipers	B-Protocol
,	O
can	O
be	O
controlled	O
individually	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
whole	O
force	O
under	O
a	O
player	O
's	O
control	O
is	O
typically	O
Battalion	O
sized	O
,	O
but	O
may	O
be	O
as	O
small	O
as	O
a	O
Platoon	B-Application
or	O
Company	O
,	O
or	O
as	O
large	O
as	O
a	O
Regiment/Brigade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
other	O
tactical	O
turn-based	O
wargames	B-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
features	O
realistic	O
military	O
control	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
smallest	O
common	O
units	O
being	O
squads	O
,	O
up	O
to	O
a	O
brigade	B-Application
sized	O
force	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
began	O
production	O
in	O
May	O
1994	O
,	O
designed	O
by	O
Gary	O
Grigsby	O
for	O
Strategic	O
Simulations	O
Inc	O
.	O
(	O
SSI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Terry	O
Coleman	O
of	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
,	O
Grigsby	O
conceived	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
revisit	O
and	O
update	O
his	O
earlier	O
wargame	B-Application
designs	O
,	O
particularly	O
Kampfgruppe	B-Application
and	O
Panzer	B-Application
Strike	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1992	O
,	O
Grigsby	O
had	O
publicly	O
discussed	O
his	O
plan	O
to	O
make	O
another	O
tactical	O
wargame	B-Application
"	O
similar	O
in	O
scope	O
to	O
Panzer	B-Application
Strike	I-Application
"	O
,	O
which	O
dealt	O
with	O
ground-based	O
conflicts	O
in	O
Europe	O
during	O
World	O
War	O
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Coleman	O
noted	O
that	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
creation	O
was	O
marked	O
by	O
"	O
a	O
considerable	O
amount	O
of	O
tension	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
success	O
of	O
SSI	O
's	O
Panzer	B-Application
General	I-Application
led	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
encourage	O
Grigsby	O
to	O
simplify	O
his	O
design	O
to	O
reach	O
a	O
larger	O
audience	O
,	O
while	O
Grigsby	O
"	O
refused	O
to	O
compromise	O
his	O
standards	O
of	O
realism	O
and	O
detail	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
was	O
commercially	O
successful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
biggest	O
hit	O
of	O
Grigsby	O
's	O
career	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Magazine	O
later	O
dubbed	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
successful	O
computer	B-Application
wargames	I-Application
ever	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
was	O
named	O
the	O
best	O
wargame	B-Application
of	O
1995	O
by	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
,	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
US	O
and	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Strategy	O
Plus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
won	O
Computer	O
Game	O
Reviews	O
1995	O
"	O
Military	O
Sim	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
tied	O
with	O
Warcraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Tides	I-Application
of	I-Application
Darkness	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Strategy	O
Plus	O
,	O
Peter	O
Smith	O
called	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
"	O
a	O
gem	O
in	O
the	O
rough	O
"	O
that	O
"	O
provides	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
enjoyment	O
"	O
despite	O
its	O
flaws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
reviewer	O
for	O
Maximum	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
From	O
the	O
producers	O
of	O
Warlord	O
I	O
and	O
II	O
,	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
is	O
everything	O
you	O
'd	O
expected	O
,	O
with	O
authentic	O
WWII	O
footage	O
and	O
over	O
200	O
digitized	O
photographs	O
of	O
tanks	O
adding	O
an	O
interesting	O
dimension	O
to	O
the	O
proceedings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
declared	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
the	O
53rd-best	O
computer	O
game	O
ever	O
released	O
:	O
the	O
editors	O
dubbed	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
culmination	O
of	O
such	O
successes	O
as	O
Kampfgruppe	B-Application
,	O
Panzer	B-Application
Strike	I-Application
and	O
Typhoon	O
of	O
Steel.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
's	O
wargame	B-Application
columnist	O
Terry	O
Coleman	O
named	O
it	O
his	O
pick	O
for	O
the	O
fourth-best	O
computer	B-Application
wargame	I-Application
released	O
by	O
late	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
and	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
II	I-Application
were	O
named	O
,	O
collectively	O
,	O
the	O
62nd	O
best	O
computer	O
game	O
ever	O
by	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
UK	O
in	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
success	O
of	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
led	O
to	O
a	O
franchise	O
:	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Modern	I-Application
Battles	I-Application
and	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Brigade	I-Application
Command	I-Application
1939	I-Application
–	I-Application
1999	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
and	O
its	O
sequels	O
proved	O
to	O
be	O
significant	O
hits	O
for	O
SSI	O
,	O
coming	O
on	O
the	O
heels	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
lucrative	O
Panzer	B-Application
General	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Robert	O
Mayer	O
of	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Magazine	O
,	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
"	O
inspired	O
a	O
cottage	O
industry	O
of	O
for-profit	O
add-ons	O
made	O
by	O
enterprising	O
users.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
mid-1999	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
behind	O
website	O
The	O
Gamers	O
Net	O
(	O
TGN	O
)	O
launched	O
a	O
heavy	O
mod	B-Device
of	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
called	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
:	O
World	O
War	O
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TGN	O
had	O
been	O
founded	O
by	O
wargamer	O
David	O
Heath	O
and	O
others	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
managed	O
to	O
obtain	O
the	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
source	O
code	O
from	O
Strategic	O
Simulations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heath	O
subsequently	O
founded	O
Matrix	O
Games	O
,	O
whose	O
debut	O
project	O
was	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
:	O
World	O
at	O
War	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remake	B-General_Concept
of	O
Steel	B-Application
Panthers	I-Application
,	O
it	O
launched	O
as	O
freeware	B-License
in	O
May	O
2000	O
,	O
and	O
won	O
the	O
2000	O
Charles	O
Roberts	O
Award	O
for	O
"	O
Best	O
20th	O
Century	O
Era	O
Computer	B-Application
Wargame	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
