In the newest game in the Blitzkrieg series, you command Patton�s army, fight Germans, Italians, and the urge to return the game for a refund. It�s not that the game is completely lacking in merit, it�s just that it�s basically a $30 Burning Horizon mod, and Burning Horizon wasn�t all that good to begin with.

Good on paper, bad in execution

For those not familiar with the series, Blitzkrieg�s premise is solid; a realistic tactical game based on WW2. Unlike in many other games, riflemen will not take down tanks, nor will units fire an unending supply of ammo. Instead, tanks are a force to be reckoned with (provided they are maintained), and units must be regularly re-supplied to avoid becoming helpless, giving you a real taste of the administrative and logistical element of war that so often goes unnoticed In addition, the game has multiple layers of combat. Long range artillery bombardments, air strikes, and sniping/recon in addition to the standard tank and infantry warfare most expect. Some units even have different armor ratings on their top, front, and sides, making aerial bombardments and flanks especially effective in some situations. It�s clear that the developers really tried to make realism, depth, and tactics central to the game instead of the clickfests that so often dominate the RTS genre.

The level design also goes a long way towards keeping things realistic. There is no �building up.� You don�t start with civilians or peasants, mine, and then pump out tanks. Instead, you start with an army, and except for the times where you get reinforcements, that initial army is all you will have. The computer starts with an army, and that�s all it has as well. Its AI is focused around maintaining the positions of natural advantage where its units start (on hills overlooking crossroads and bridges and the like), and in this way, intelligent positional strategy is effectively simulated.

But all this doesn�t make Blitzkrieg enjoyable. Rolling Thunder has some noticeable flaws, ranging from just quirky bugs to control and interface issues to laughable pathfinding.

The most noticeable bug I�ve seen is that sometimes units being hit simply don�t take damage. In one instance, artillery units were being pounded by tanks at close range and went unscathed. In another, I saw Infantry taking heavy fire and not dying. Granted, invulnerable super-units are relatively rare, but if they appear in a major battle, they can be absolutely devastating.

As far as the controls go, commands are simply imprecise. Tell a unit to move 20 feet to the right and it may move 23 feet to the right and 5 feet forward. In a game in which there are bombing runs and shell bombardments, units following orders to the letter would be appreciated. A tank in the vicinity of the ordered destination simply doesn�t cut it.

Another problem with issuing commands is the small icons (about the size of the tray icons next to your PC�s clock). Obviously you can memorize the hotkeys, but if you�re new to the game or you have played other games in the past few days and happen to get the hotkeys mixed up, you may find yourself in trouble. Being 2 or 3 precise clicks away from commands you may have to issue in a split second can mean death for a large number of troops.

In addition, Rolling Thunder has the same pathfinding issues that its predecessor, Burning Horizon, had. Units will knock into each other, get stuck on objects, and take some of the most circuitous and hazardous routes imaginable. I can�t think of a mission in which my units didn�t do something stupid at least twice. Armored cars, unable to navigate cities, being torn apart while they attempt U-turns or simply stop. A tank, breaking off from his group by a good 40 feet only to get the attention of enemy units I was circumventing. Units apparently so baffled by the layouts of cities that they refuse to move when ordered. Perhaps I�m impatient or a bit more critical than most, but I actually loathed playing Blitzkrieg after awhile. It�s hard enough to fight the Axis, but when your own units seem to want you to lose, it doesn�t take long for the urge to quit to take hold.

The Sights and Sounds of WW2 � Good, but not Great

Units in Blitzkrieg have believable and life-like movements, often creating puffs of smoke and dust trails. The scenery is frequently vibrant and detailed as well. However, the explosions are still rather unimpressive, and the engine is beginning to become dated, though it�s still certainly serviceable.

The music is aptly themed and well-composed though not particularly remarkable, while the sound effects are individually above average (though collectively sound a bit weak). Skirmishes sound great, large battles are unimpressive. The voices are adequately done, though there�s nothing in the audio department to write home about, so to speak. The sound is good overall, but not particularly noteworthy.

Bottom Line

On the surface, Rolling Thunder looks good. The premise is good, the graphics are good, and the sound is above average. But once you actually sit down to play the game and have to deal with tank drivers so incompetent that one wonders if they�re working for the enemy, it becomes clear that Rolling Thunder is a decidedly mediocre game. The main problems with Blitzkrieg; namely awful pathfinding and general control problems, are not new, so there�s no excuse for them at this point. For those who owned Burning Horizon, Rolling Thunder is $29.99 for a mod with a sniper-bug fix. For everyone else, I suppose Rolling Thunder is a good place to get into the series if you really want to, but I�d wait until the next installment. Maybe in the next game the pathfinding won�t be broken and units will follow orders.