CWIE gives you the chance to fiddle with this monster by computer, with friends who might never be able to make it to your basement. You can chuckle and curse odd bugs and debate whether some strange rule really appeared in an obscure magazine somewhere. It's a wild ride at times, but the company is good, and you'll have some fine stories to tell, whatever happens. Voluminous manual and good online docs. Realistically, the only choice in a true strategic computer wargame.
Games take a looooong time.
Weird rules implementation bugs crop up occasionally. Graphics rather dated for people who care about that sort of thing. The granddaddy of monster games. More replayability than you have free time. Does the job.