Close Combat 2: A Bridge Too Far BY MICROSOFT A win/mac cd It's fall 1944 and the German army is making a hasty retreat across the countries of Europe it had conquered only a few years before. The German army's objective is to retreat back to Germany, regroup and prepare for a major counter-offensive. In order for this to happen, the German army must cross over bridges along a 60 mile front into Germany . The bridges themselves need to be protected at all costs until they cross back into their homeland. Once they have done this, the bridges should be destroyed so the advancing Allied army will be halted at the German border thus allowing the Germans time to regroup. The Allies knowing the strategic importance of these bridges, devise a plan of parachuting large number of troops behind enemy lines to seize and hold these bridges. Allied armour would then break through the Axis lines and support the paratroopers. This sets the stage for one of the most violent battles of World War 2. This game is number 2 in the series; the first one was called Close Combat and was based upon the Allied invasion of Normandy, (better known as D-Day). I did not have a chance to play the first game so I cannot compare the two. But I can tell you this, Close Combat 2 is an excellent game to play by yourself or head to head via the internet. Installation: a breeze System requirements: P90 or better Windows 95 or Windows NT 16 MB ram 45 MB of hard disk space 4x cdrom Super VGA supporting 800x600 Mouse 28,800 modem For Macintosh same as above but a power mac with system 7.5 or later Gameplay: I personally loved this game and highly recommend it. It is a very complex game to learn with many features you'll need to learn about. You can either be the Allies or the Axis forces. There is more than 130 realistically modeled infantry and vehicles, including assault units, flame throwing tanks, and exotic half-tracts. If you are not that familiar with the history of World War 2 I suggest you read Chapter 7 of the manual it deals with tactics and strategy. Tactics will tell you how to use your men and strategy is how you manage them. Not only will your men get fatigued if you push them too hard they might even refuse an order , and to top it off they might even throw down their weapons and leave the battlefield. You can play four different types of action. Boot Camp: Training exercises and explanations. (recommended) Battles: Individual scenarios with no carry over. Operations: Sets of linked maps from any of the three sectors of battle, each with a specific objective. Campaigns: All operations for any individual sector in the game, or the Grand Campaign, which is fought on all three fronts simultaneously. Multiplayer: Head to head via a modem or on the internet. Microsoft's internet gaming zone ( www.zone.com is where I had the most fun with this game. Playing against the computer is fun, but nothing compares to the enjoyment of kicking a fellow human being's butt. Check out the site, it definitley is one of the best gaming sites out there. Sound: Great sound effects, it really sounds as if you're in the middle of a battle. The "whoomf" of a mortar firing, bullets ricocheting, men fleeing in panic, and a tank blowing up in your face really make this game a rush. Video: It is a top down perspective and very detailed, using the terrain as cover is very important to this game. A lot of effort went into the graphics and it shows. Overall rating: This should be, IMHO, one of the games of the year! It is tough at first but once you get the hang of it, no combat real time stategy game can touch it. It is historically accurate and a must for any strategy enthusiast!!! Close Combat 2 was reviewed by the one and only... TURBO!!!!