This is something I know about, I think I've played the majority of them just to try to find the right one. However my preference is for turn-based games. With the RT it turn not as much into micro-management, but into a click-fest. Anyways, these are the ones I've tried (I think you're interest is tactical, but I will include some grand strategy and some turn based):
Napoleon Total War: The obvious choice, mix of RT tactical battles and turn-based grand strategy. It comes with the Total War franchise's mix of excellent graphics and really bad AI. It's fun however, get one of the good mods like The Darth Mod so the AI can be improved. You will enjoy the tactical mod.
March of the Eagles: Real Time strategy/operational (not tactical, although you do have some tactical choices before combat) similar to Europa Universalis. It's been somewhat ignored by it's publishers but I actually enjoy the heck out of this game. The game engine they call "pausable real time". If you buy, get the mod that enables you to start in the Europe of 1795. It has a very simplified poltical engine to it, which is actually pretty accurate to Napolenoic warfare - lose one or 2 battles and a nation sues for peace, loses some territory, pays some concessions, and lives to fight in the next coalition a year to two later.
Crown of Glory: This is turn based so it may not interest you. It is also mostly grand strategy, but it does have a tactical turn-based layer like Total War (except all turn-based). Extremenly complex as it does a good job of modeling the economy and the complex political aspect of that period. As well as the logistics of moving man and beast over Europe and not having them starve to death before they even get into combat. There is a serious learning curve to it.
John Tiller's Battleground Napoleonic War: Again, turn-based. But it recreates tactical combat, moving from line to column and squares, skirmishers, cannon, cavalry, probably still the best and most accurate historical representation. This is an old game engine from the late 90s, with sprites representing troops, but the battlefields and order of battles are represented to a T. Matrix publishes the new version of this game so that it works in all new operating systems, and modders have recreated just about every battlefield that Napolean every walked on.
Mount and Blade Warband: Napoleon Expansion: This Napoleon expansion is purely for on-line play. It's real time and like no other game around. The novelty of this is a few modes:
a.) The Commander mode - You can play online and command a squad of soldiers (20 to 40). Line up next to your fellow squads and maneuver, order your troops to fire volley's, advance, fall back, order bayonet charges, move into 2 lines, 4 lines, etc. You play on teams that may have 20 or more squads each, so you can look to the left and right to see how your other team's forces are doing, and support each other, watch for cav, outflank, etc. You play a commander with a sword and pistol. You can also play commanding a cannon or cavalry squad. This is amazingly fun, and unique. Check out some youtube videos.
b.) now if you are really serious then you can join a clan and just play one soldier with hundreds of other Napoleonic enthusiasts divided into actual regiments. This is serious stuff - these guys actually practice with their characters, have commanders, you may play a common footsoldier with a brown bess or baker rifle and virtually train marching in line, changing to column, changing to square, etc. Then they have battles. A bit to serious for me, but it's there.
I think that is the list of the games I've tried or played. There are others out there, for RT the other ones I know about but never have played include:
Cossacks 2 (with or without the Napoleonic expansion): Sounded just like Total War but it seems most of the battles are in some urban villages. Not historically accurate.
HistWar: Read both good and bad things about this game. RT, tactical battles, huge maps, historically accurate, but bad interface and very complex.
and soon to be:
Scourge of War: Waterloo. Oh man this might be the ultimate engine. The Scourge of War series is used for Civil War right now but they are adapting it for Napoleonic Warfare. Like Total War, but with an actual AI that actually gives one a challenge, and it will look and feel like a battle with huge maps and thousands of soldiers, not a skirmish with a few hundred soldiers. This will be a first day buy for me:
Scourge of War: Waterloo first Screenshots revealed
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