Return to the war
This is the first in a long running series of historical strategy games that continued with the likes of Sudden Strike 2 and Sudden Strike 3. This one is fairly representative of the franchise as a whole and is well worth getting stuck into for a bit. The game is set in World War 2 and allows you to replay key campaigns from the conflict in glorious tactical fashion. Your first choice lies with which nation you wish to play as and then you get stuck into the horrors of war in a series of tough missions. The whole thing plays out isometric fashion, with some highly detailed environments to explore which have major effects on the gameplay itself. For example, you can blow up bridges to prevent your enemies from using them, or repair them yourself in order to aid your own goals. You can stash soldiers in buildings and then launch devastating surprise attacks on unaware troops and make use of planes to leap down from above the battlefield. The whole thing is pretty tricky stuff and you really need to think about your strategy in order to succeed, making this a good bet for real strategy buffs. However, it is not so hardcore that it loses all sense of fun and on the whole this is highly enjoyable stuff. The combat is meaty and satisfying, and you have to make effective use of the wide range of troops and units available in order to succeed. Learning how to use the environment is also a fun part of the game, while the missions are varied enough to keep you hooked for some time. When you throw in the slick graphics and sound, you're left with a top notch bit of strategy action.
