CDV Sudden Strike II PC Video Game, Action & Adventure Genre, 11+ Age Rating, Features 40 Missions | 177811

Set in World War II, Sudden Strike is a tactical war game with authentic historical background and compelling gameplay. This time round players can control Russian, British, American, German and Japanese forces with historical reference and accuracy throughout. Each side will have their own realistically modelled vehicles and troops as well as a new damage model to provide an even greater emphasis on realism.

As a huge World War II buff, it's almost hard for me to complain about the shortcomings of Sudden Strike II. This game features the five major powers of World War II, and not only is each playable, but the game's developers at FireGlow really have done their homework in terms of providing real-world equipment and vehicles. Too bad they didn't actually study the history or tactics of combat of the Second World War in any great detail, because while the game features an impressive amount of hardware, the gameplay is about as exciting as watching model tanks.

As the sequel to the moderately successful Sudden Strike, SSII once again features real-time gameplay that is essentially like an RTS … minus the resource management and building options. If that sounds like a contradiction, consider the non-building missions in games like Command & Conquer or Age of Empires where you had to meet an objective with a limited army. Sudden Strike II is more of the same, with the core game feeling more like C&C than anything in the Close Combat series. This part of the game is fine considering all the ultra-realistic (not to mention ultra-complicated) turn-based World War II simulations out there. It's nice to have a game you can just get in and play.

SSII also shines when it comes to the various vehicles, including planes, and even a handful of ships that made the grade. A lot of World War II games make do with a mix of Sherman, Tiger, and T-34 tanks -- but Sudden Strike II goes the extra mile and includes the less commonly seen T-26, Sturmtiger and even a variety of Japanese armored units. More impressive is that appropriately-sized crews are present for each, rather than just a generic number.