"One tense, involved little strategy game!"

There are a vast amount of strategy and real time war games on the market, but none seem as exciting, gripping, or in your face as 'Close Combat: Invasion Normandy'! If you have ever wondered what it was like to control the Allied forces as they took on Hitler’s 'Atlantic Wall' in World War II then this may well be the strategy game for you!

This game gives you the chance to control up to 15 units from infantry squads to heavy tanks as they plough from one strategic map area to another. It isn't all plain sailing, as there are 'real life' elements to the game. Your troops can get tired, scared, can run away, or can do you justice on the battlefield by careful strategy and morale boosting victories.

The Boot Camp is the first thing to use when trying this for the first time. It talks you through how to control your troops, how best to use ambush, smoke, artillery and tanks. Demonstrations are given as to the best way to provide covering fire, which is the best way to take a building or even how to hide your troops in the tree line for a successful sneak attack on the enemy.

The controls are relatively simple, although there is plenty of scope for expanding your knowledge, and plenty of manual checking as your skill increases. The manual provides a lot more info on tactics and troop control than Boot Camp, so it is essential to always have it to hand. The one downside is that the game does not come with a handy reference card for all the keys and controls, which is a nuisance. Holding the manual open at three different places whilst taking on a tank and a bazooka crew of German soldiers can be quite tricky...

Armed with this knowledge you can attempt a game, just to get the feel for going out on your own, before diving into a campaign. Your first game is a real eye opener! You have a bird’s eye view of the field of battle, but that does not mean you can see the enemy troops or artillery. They become visible only when a unit is close enough to see them themselves. That means that an innocent looking tree line or group of bushes could be harbouring some veteran German troops, a gun emplacement or if you’re extremely unlucky, a tank!!! You soon discover the meaning of reconnaissance and strategy when your troops are mown down due to your Chinese wave tactics. As your troops are blown apart by the enemy, they scream and shout desperate things to each other - 'take cover', 'I can't take anymore' and so on. All that is missing is a Pythonesque 'Run away! Run away!.' There are plenty of places to run away to, as the map usually contains a wide variety of terrain, from forests and buildings to roads, scrub, rubble, gullies, trenches, gun pits and minefields!

Laying ambushes, defending buildings and roads, sneaking up on the enemy and general surprise tactics seem to be the order of the day, and once you have gotten used to the controls you can attempt the Campaign section. Here a Strategic Map will show the region that most of the Normandy battles were fought over. Via this you conduct a campaign, keeping supply routes open, capturing points of strategic import and generally trying to give Hitler’s forces a run for their money. You have a variety of tasks outside of just lording it over your troops on the battlefield. You also have to worry about repairs and replacements to vehicles and equipment lost or damaged, reforming and reinforcing your troops, levels of ammunition depletion and a whole host of other things! Added to that, you also have weather interfering in your plans to retake Normandy - this can muck up things like air strikes, naval support gun barrages and mortar support.

Throughout all of this I was constantly impressed with the graphics. While it is all very small, being a birds eye view, it is painstakingly detailed and great pains have been taken to make sure that you don't get a tank confused with a small outhouse or a German troop with a grey bit of rubble. When an infantryman dies, their body stays where it falls, seeping blood. When a tank is destroyed it makes an impressive explosion. There are loads of lovely touches too - the recoil of a bazooka, gun turret or tank is shown clearly when it fires! The sounds of gunfire seem realistic and constant. You always seem to be nipping from one section of a game area to another as you hear fresh bouts of gunfire and mortar rounds coming your way!

There is so much more to this game than I can fit into a small review. In summary I can say that this is a very well constructed, exciting and enthralling game you can play for hours and hours. There is so much to do and see! For the strategy game enthusiast this is a must, and there is plenty to keep even the 'blood and guts instant gratification' games playing brigade going. This would get 10 out of 10 if it were not for the lack of reference card to keep handy for all the keys and control functions.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/30/03, Updated 01/30/03