GamersInfo.net

The Sudden Strike series has been a fixture on strategy fans' desktops since the first incarnation of the popular 2D RTT title appeared in 2000. The game clearly resonated with gamers jaded by too many titles concentrating on WW2. Sudden Strike offered a huge amount of depth thanks to plenty of factions, units and theatres. It also had a certain retro appeal thanks to detailed, isometric graphics and plenty of exhaustive research.

Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory, though, has taken the series in a new direction - and, unfortunately, some of the changes prove ruinous.

Graphically the game has seen a huge re-vamp: the charming old 2D graphics have been dumped in favour of modern 3D environments that, while bringing a whole host of improvements, seem sterile and lifeless. Sure, there's more going on - plenty of destruction, thousands of explosions and some relatively pretty military hardware - but the old 2D graphics were, in my opinion, just better.

The gameplay has also seen a few odd changes. In previous versions you could depend on Sudden Strike to offer decent AI and a fair depth to its tactical challenges, something has been lost in the translation to the newer game. Now, for instance, the path finding of the units is completely muttled, with a phalanx of soldiers ignoring their command to move forward as a unit and instead finding their own way to a set point. It's incredibly irritating and could potentially cost you a scenario in the wrong circumstances.

The poor AI also has another impact - though it's less obvious - at least at the start of the game. As your army starts to grow, it becomes clear that it's just not sophisticated enough to look after itself. Your job as over-arching war commander swiftly degenerates into round after round of micro-management to make sure that your troops are in the right places, have ammo and are ready to fight. As with the real military, this really isn't something you should be wasting your time on.

That's not to say there's no fun to be had with Sudden Strike 3, despite these problems. The sense of depth is still there thanks to a selection of long and demanding missions and a decent variation of different countries and theatres to use.

Ultimately, though, it's a battle of perseverance rather than of enjoyment. The same commitment to historical accuracy and long, involving gameplay is still there, but Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory gets too much wrong, masking any good attributes the title may have. The poor AI and concentration on micro-management banish Sudden Strike 3's chances of continuing a fine legacy.