Terry Coleman of
Computer Gaming World reported in August 1996 that "
BG: Waterloo had, according to Empire (the distributor for Talonsoft in the US), the highest '
buy-in' at retail chains of any historical wargame they've released this year." A
Next Generation critic said
Battleground 3: Waterloo "is as good as PC war games get, featuring everything players could want in a turn-based bloodbath: historical accuracy, pleasing graphics, an easy-to-use interface, and strategic subtleties." He remarked that while the game only covers one battle, it has considerable breadth due to its many options, including the ability to play either a historically accurate campaign or a number of "what if" scenarios. He scored it four out of five stars. The four
Battleground games of 1996—
Bulge-Ardennes,
Shiloh,
Antietam and
Waterloo—collectively won
Computer Games Strategy Pluss wargame of the year award for that year.
Waterloo was a finalist for
Computer Gaming Worlds 1996 "Wargame of the Year" award, which ultimately went to
Battleground 4: Shiloh.
Waterloo was a runner-up for
Computer Game Entertainments 1996 "Best War Game" prize, which ultimately went to
Tigers on the Prowl 2. The magazine's editors called both games "top-notch". In 1996,
Computer Gaming World named
Waterloo the 115th best game ever. The editors wrote, "The grand age of warfare comes to life with colorful uniforms, delightful landscapes, and above-average opponent AI in this recent release." The magazine's wargame columnist Terry Coleman named it his pick for the 10th-best computer wargame released by late 1996. ==References==