BIOS: Technology Means Business

CDV has released the follow up to last year's highly acclaimed original. The second game in the series is yet another World War 2 RTS (real-time strategy) game, but takes the fight to unexplored territories - this time you get the chance to fight on the scorching deserts of the Sahara, right through to the Italian Alps. The main noticeable difference with the sequel is the dropping of the Russian side, which has now been replaced by the Partisan. If you want another RTS game which is based on a tried and tested formula set on World War 2, Codename: Panzers Phase Two offers a few extra tweaks and brings some new features to the genre, namely no resource management.

Pros: Intuitive; destructible scenery; no resource management
Cons: Basic gameplay; gets repetitive; comical cut scenes

Similar to its predecessor, Codename: Panzers Phase Two (Best Current Price: £24.99) consists of three chapters, each one being depicted from three different points of view: the Axis (Italio-German), the Allied (Anglo-American) and the Partisan. Each side has its own strengths and weaknesses but this makes the game more interesting, and for once you get the chance to control an Italian side - something that we have not seen in any WW2 RTS games.

Each campaign is divided into a number of missions and features some distinctive heroes, which will be familiar to those who played the first game. For those new to Panzers these heroes are based on real characters from the Second World War and are like 'super soldiers', each being able to withstand more punishment and drive pimped up tanks. You should look after your hero mind, because once he is dead the mission is over.

A neat addition which aids the longevity of the game is the ability to play these campaigns in any order and at any point, so if you get stuck or bored on one particular mission you can always swap sides and fight for the opposition. Regardless of which campaign you choose it is a good idea to play through the tutorial mission first, which will give fans of the original a taste of the new features and teach new players the basics.

If you have played an RTS game before (such as Command & Conquer or Warcraft) you will be right at home with Codename: Panzers Phase Two. Offering a arge number of controllable vehicles, troops and in some cases artillery or fighter support at your disposal (though these are limited), the game offers many areas of attack to aid greatly in your list of tactics. However, the major difference with Codename: Panzers Phase Two is the lack of resource collection, so you don't have to spend half your time gathering money and building up your force.

All of your troops and vehicles are provided at the beginning of each mission with the option of purchasing more at the start. You can even carry over prestige experience points gained from previous combat follies. This makes the game a lot easier to get into with the emphasis on blowing things up rather than resource management. This will please certain individuals, but hardcore RTS gamers who like an element of fund management may be a little put off.

Each mission starts with one of the heroes reading out his journal, moving onto the main mission briefing and cut scenes which appear at the start and throughout the game. These scenes tend to be a bit cheesy and the graphics look basic compared to the full game, but voice acting is used to good effect with Peter Weller (aka Robocop) amongst other providing one of the voiceovers.

Once the game has started you get several objectives, including bonus missions if you wish to take them. The latter are normally pin-pointed on the map for you, so in theory you should never get stuck or 'lost'. Each mission can be completed in different ways, so you could do a full frontal assault on an enemy position - which will leave you normally outnumbered - or attempt more tactical surprise attacks. If things get hectic during battle you can pause the game, allowing you time to plan your attacks before going back into the action.

There are a few support vehicles for you to play with during combat, including ammo, repair and refuel trucks, which are vital if you are to succeed in the game (ammo is sparse, unlike the battering your tanks will get during combat). Another neat touch is that you can capture an enemy-held position and utilise its resources.

The main three-dimensional engine is upgraded slightly from the original, with the ability to zoom in and out and rotate the map 360 degrees. A great feature is the ability to knock down anything in your path with your trusty tanks, so buildings, trees and telephones poles can all be destroyed in dramatic fashion. Strangely, the old tactic of running over troops seems a no-no, as the enemy seem pretty intelligent and will move around your tank if you try and squash them. That said, the infantry are pretty useless during combat.

The more you play Codename: Panzers Phase Two the more you start to be impressed by the finer touches. The game is not much different graphically from the first, but the tanks themselves are highly detailed - as are the troops and the environmental effects (tank track marks are left in the desert and the occasional wind will blow dust around the map making it visibly harder to see). Buildings blow up in impressive fashion, the water used in the game looks impressive and the night missions allow for some great tactical elements - lights can be turned on and off allowing you to creep up on enemies.

Once the single player campaigns have been exhausted you can move onto the multiplayer, which is what PC gaming is all about. You can either team up with other computer/human players and take on up to six other teams, or simply do one-on-one combat to the finish, with domination and mission modes. There are no objectives to finish so you can simply enjoy pure combat. Strangely, when you choose which side you want to pick, the Russian side from the first game is there but the Partisan side has vanished.

Other niggles in the game are that your troops can sometimes be hard to keep track of when there is a lot going on, although this is helped slightly by being able to map units to number keys. Also, the voices of your heroes can get annoying at times and the desert maps can be a bit bland - you only see an occasional palm tree or camel and there is only a certain amount of ways you can blow stuff up. The game is pretty challenging even on easy level, but luckily you can swap campaigns if you get tired of a particular mission.

The music used throughout the game is very atmospheric and the sound effects as a whole are reasonable. The built-in Editor will give the game more lasting appeal, although it really depends if you can get the time to develop a new level. Codename: Panzers Phase Two is a good game which will please fans of the original, to the extent that you are virtually getting an updated version of the same game. But for players who are fresh to RTS and simply want to get stuck into WW2 combat action - but are put off by resource building - you can't go to wrong with Codename: Panzers Phase Two. [8]