Using Monte Carlo simulation, scaling, variational and mean-field arguments we investigate forces between charged spherical aggregates conferred by oppositely charged polymeric chains. Two types of polymer mediated attraction are found in this system, both of a bridging type but differing markedly in terms of the range. The entropic bridging force is of a range comparable to the average monomer-monomer separation in the chain. It is present whenever many chains have to compensate the charge on two macroions. The energetic bridging force has a range of the order of the length of the polymer chain and pertains to situations when a single chain has to compensate the charge on more than one macroion. In what follows we shall give a detailed analysis of both bridging interactions with a special regard for polycounterion versus simple counterion effects. The two types of bridging are in a certain sense complementary and should be present in polymer- surfactant systems at different regimes of the polymer-macroion concentration ratios. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.