Just a quick run down on the goods...

Components. Solid across the board.

The counters are largely NATO icons with a pretty decent setting and background art specific to each nationality (and there are several). The background art is also a bit of a (minor) hinderance in setting up the game as on some Allied counters, the unit designation blends in with the background artwork. As for the counter mix - the vast majority are specific / designated units, many represented by 3 counters (full strength, and two reduced strength sides), but there are several breakdown counters (breakdown battalions into companies), game markers, and activation chits.

The map will no doubt draw mixed accounts. It does a very good job of portraying the jungle environment, but the neon looking swamp hexes do poke you in the eye at first glance (from my experience - once you get into the gameplay they do begin to 'fade' into the map a bit). Other than that, some of the town names can be a bit tough to read (no real bearing on gameplay) but everything on the map is pretty easy to find and recognize.

The rules are short in length and brief in verbage. Pretty straight to the point and very little chrome (most of that is provided by some key engineering rules) is added onto the system. You should be able to read and start playing in no more than an hour. Some parts do seem odd in the layout - but when the rule are just 8 pages, I can't say it is an obstacle (more of personal preference).

Playaids - there are several setup charts which will speed up setup and placement of reinforcements (each scenario has its own set). They are well done on a heavier paper stock so they should survive being sifted through. I would like to have seen one list out the specific actions for activations to avoid checking the rules, but they become pretty second nature a few turns into the game.

Gameplay

Overall I'd say it moves pretty quick and with few hitches to delay play.

It is a chit driven game with each turn having a varying number of Allied and Japanese chits (modified by weather from a base number). The Japanese virtually always have more chits, but the random draw can give you a multitude of activation results. Each chit also gives you differing & limited options ranging from movement, to combat, to a host of engineering and recovery tasks. With any chit type game - things can get ugly for one side if the opposing side pulls several chits after one another, but so goes warfare...

To touch on the basics : movement is fluid for jungle capable units (mainly the Japanese but also some Australian units and other Allies) as the movement cost is lower for them (as are ZOC penalties) and punishing for conventional units caught off the few roads. Yes - you will see swarms of Japanese units bypass and isolate your Allied battalions...

Combat is odds driven & terrain effected. Very few modifiers (air power, armor, and attacking from many hexes) to worry about; the CRT impact both sides, but allows the defender to retreat as part of his loss. Artillery can seem plentiful for the Japanese, but ranges are short and it can be tough to get units into place in the early goings as things are prety mobile.

The ebb and flow should see the Japanese moving quickly to outflank Allied units while the Allies try to pull back to a line somewhere (it takes a lot to hold a line due to the jungle capable units). If the Allies can dig in and pull the Japanese into a conventional fight, the hope is that a reinforcing Australian division will arrive and bolster the line (historically it never showed). To avoid this the Japanese must push hard, assume some risk, and stretch the Allies out.

The downside to it all (from a gameplay perspective, not a historical representation aspect) : if played strongly and the chits are falling into place, the Japanese can come off as looking vastly superior and very quickly put the Allied player into a position where by the time 50% of the campaign scenario is played, there may not be much spirit to keep playing. Added to that, it can be very difficult for the Allied player to get in too many "big attacks" - but if playing right, the Japanese player should, at some point, leave several companies hanging out on the limb for the Allies to punch back. As such, I think the replay value may suffer with some folks if they get battered.

In the end - it's a nice addition to a big part of WW2 that seems to get little attention in game production.