If you are a fan of real time strategy games, and enjoy a military theme, the re-released World War II: Frontline Command will be of interest to you, especially now it offers such good value on the Focus ‘Essential’ label.

World War II: Frontline Command follows a structured format where squadrons and units are provided for you at the start of missions. Unlike some other real time strategy games, the quality and quantity of these provided units do not correlate in any way to input from the player.  What you see is what you get, pre-programmed.

In single player mode (where The Allied side is the only one playable) you can choose recruit difficulty setting or veteran (in which mode more missions will open up to you).  There are 23 different unit types that you will have to control as you progress though these various missions; like disabling radar installations, controlling and destroying bridges and capture of other strategic positions in readiness for the bulk of the beach landings that are to follow your clearing activities.

Control of your units is by the use of a hub and spoke menu system and keyboard commands.  This formula of control works well; it is simple to understand, if a little fiddly at times, and is mastered swiftly.  This control allows you to react fast to the quick changing virtual world you find yourself in, and helps you find instant pleasure in moving your units around the battlefield.

A very nice touch that is the interactive morale system the programmers thought to include, and will be noticed as you move your army around, and become engaged in a mission. If one of your units is not doing too well their morale will become low, especially if some of your troops are wounded.  This makes your men less effective and compromises your operation.  You can see this in status indicators placed conspicuously over the heads of your men.  Conversely, if your squadron has subjugated Axis forces and all objectives are being met, the status indicators may show heroic leanings in your troops.  High morale will boost the effectiveness of your regiment.  This feature is a thoughtful addition and helps to increase the realism of the game.

Another idea adding to the realism is the fog of war in the game.  Although not a new idea by any means, the fog of war extends behind hedges, hills and buildings preventing vision to these areas exactly as it would in a real battle.  Although essentially a good addition to the game this has to be one of the most irritating things this game suffers from.  Fog of war is an essential part of strategy war games; however, the extent that it is implemented in Frontline Command is just downright annoying.  You cannot see to the end of a field a lot of the time, even if there is a massive tank waiting there to blow you to pieces.

Another let-down that you will discover very quickly occurs when the time comes to move a large number of units.  If you highlight several units and then send them to a location, say in the middle of a field, they move - it seems - wherever they feel like, except via the safest route.  Not all the units take the same path; some even disappear, taking the most ridiculous meandering random route available, some ending up in one part of a village under heavy fire while others are safe the other side of a hedge.

Another thing seriously lacking is the ability to split units and individually move troops, limiting the strategy available to the player.  Frustrating too was not being able to command my units to fire on enemies while moving, which would have lessened the blow of the random movement problems, enabling defence on the move.

Graphically, Frontline Command reveals its true age and is nothing special, appearing four or even five years behind the times.  Detail is essentially non existent and buildings and vehicles are uninspiring and amorphous.  So don’t expect this game to tax your machine.  The parsimonious graphics are made up for somewhat by the excellent sounds.  These help no-end in adding to the atmosphere and engender a real sense of place and purpose.

Aside from the single player game, you can enjoy the four player LAN-based multiplayer mode.  Unfortunately this mode suffers from all the problems encountered by the single player, so be prepared to hear your LAN buddies cursing as their troops go AWOL at random.  There are many newer RTS games that have more user-friendly interfaces, excellent graphics and less annoyances, but few will be as much value as the budget priced Frontline Command.

I can recommend with hand on my heart that if you are after a well priced entry into the world of wartime RTS, then you will be in for a treat buying this game.  It is a pity for this re-release that those of you who fit that bill are few and far between.  Because, I fear, this game will become just another title in a sea of equally lacklustre releases.

Reuben Glossop