Take that hill!
Squad Leader is a pretty lackluster entry into the squad-based tactics genre, and while it scores some points for its setting, it's far from the likes of X-Com, Jagged Alliance and Laser Squad. You have plenty of missions to play through and which are quite challenging, it just lacks the personality and depth of other similar games, and is perhaps only suited to diehard fans of this type of thing. You've got three campaigns worth of missions to try out and which will see you leading squads of British, American and German troops through some tough conflicts of 1944-45. Each solider is individual and has their own unique skills, so careful consideration of the balance of your squad is needed, depending on the needs of the mission. You've got the usual mix of trooper types, including snipers, medics and engineers, while in the field you can also make use of vehicles and artillery support, along with an extensive array of real-world weaponry, while your missions will take you to a good range of environment types on some diverse missions. Squad Leader is far from a bad game, and with the three extensive campaigns and range of options and customization, there's certainly enough here to keep you going for some time. The RPG-style elements add to the appeal, while the missions themselves are challenging and varied. The visuals aren't the best, being a little muddy and fuzzy, while the control system is a touch on the clunky side, but the real issue here is that this just lacks a little personality to make it stand out. So, not a bad game, but not a must play either.
