Combat Mission - PC Games

The method of controlling your troops is turn based but with a real twist. Once the initial set up phase is complete you direct you squads or individual units, using a very complete yet incredibly easy order menu. The camera enables you to focus in on one soldier or back up to gaze upon the whole battle. Click on a tank, choose your move and then click anywhere in the map you want the tank to go, even set a series of waypoints to direct the tank away from any potential points of ambush. Once you've done your ordering, click the go button and that's it--off your happy troops trot. 60 seconds of real time in which you have no control, then it's back to the order phase and so on. The AI is great, your troops when fired upon will react and not merrily wander towards machine guns nests. However if you've ordered your whole squad straight down a road without scouting ahead then that's your fault. That is the overwhelming feeling you get from Combat Mission, if you mess up then it's your fault not the AI.

Graphically this does the job. Great 3-D terrain and unit graphics, good animations and battlefield sound effects all help immerse you in to the game. This is a real gem. --Lawrence S Hall.