Honestly, Hearts of Iron III is one of the more difficult Paradox games out there. Compared to the newer Hearts of Iron IV, this game is still by far more difficult. But that's not to say it isn't fun!

The learning curve is incredibly steep; of all the strategy games I play, there isn't any competition. And it isn't the prettiest thing to look at (unless you think NATO unit counters and clicking boxes and numbers all day are pretty). But there is a lot going on all the time. You can definitely ease some of the difficulty by letting the AI take over parts of the game for you, but there is unquestionably an incredible amount of time that you can devote to even a single playthrough. Managing a major nation throughout the entirety of World War 2 could take hundreds of hours - if you micromanage everything and play to be the most effecient. And on the flip side, the same playthrough can take 10-30 hours as you let the AI do a lot of the work.

It is a lot of fun to conquer the world. It really is - especially in a World War II setting. There are few games in the World War II genre which can allow you the full breadth and depth of experiences as the head of a nation. It might not be pretty or easy - in which case I direct you to Hearts of Iron IV - but it is fun and rewarding. For a game that is now a decade old at the time of this writing (2009), it is still great but not without its fair share of bugs. Definitely give it a try.

Honestly, Hearts of Iron III is one of the more difficult Paradox games out there. Compared to the newer Hearts of Iron IV, this game is still by far more difficult. But that's not to say it isn't fun! The learning curve is incredibly steep; of all the strategy games I play, there isn't any competition. And it isn't the prettiest thing to look at (unless you think NATO unit counters and clicking boxes and numbers all day are pretty). But there is a lot going on all the time. You can definitely ease some of the difficulty by letting the AI take over parts of the game for you, but there is unquestionably an incredible amount of time that you can devote to even a single playthrough. Managing a major nation throughout the entirety of World War 2 could take hundreds of hours - if you micromanage everything and play to be the most effecient. And on the flip side, the same playthrough can take 10-30 hours as you let the AI do a lot of the work. It is a lot of fun to conquer the world. It really is - especially in a World War II setting. There are few games in the World War II genre which can allow you the full breadth and depth of experiences as the head of a nation. It might not be pretty or easy - in which case I direct you to Hearts of Iron IV - but it is fun and rewarding. For a game that is now a decade old at the time of this writing (2009), it is still great but not without its fair share of bugs. Definitely give it a try.