At a glance...

Reviewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players	Screenshots
Matt Bailey	PC	Digital Jesters	Digital Reality	1-4 (LAN, Online)	Here
Requirements					Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Minimum: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP, 1GHz Processor, 256MB RAM, DirectX 9.0, 64MB Graphics Card, 1GB HDD Space.					Click here to buy Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps.

Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps review

Over the past few years there has been a growth in the number of World War 2 inspired games. The important conflict has seen rise to a number of great titles (the Medal of Honor series, for example), and some not quite so good. Thankfully I can already state that Digital Jester's Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps is in the former category and, as we hoped, is a great RTS title telling the story of one of the less covered aspects of the war.

Of course, events such as the occupation of France, the Normandy Landings, and the fight against Japan are well known and well covered by video games. But World War 2 really was a world war, with events going on outside of those in Europe or the Pacific; conflict between the armies of the Allies (including the British Desert Rats) and the Axis (including the German Afrika Korps) took place for many years and claimed many lives yet, until now, it has featured very little in computer games.

Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps features the opportunity to take up either side of the conflict as you get to play the game from the perspective of either a British or a German soldier. The two were friends and their worlds have now been torn apart.

Once you've made your choice the campaign unfolds and you are flung into North Africa where combat unfolds. One of the most obvious things you'll notice is the lack of resource gathering and base building; Desert Rats vs Africa Korps is a game that relies on the old-school tactical approach, and prefers to get you stuck in, rather than hanging around so you can 'tank rush' and prepare reinforcements (although these do arrive from time to time). The missions themselves are enjoyable, and although sometimes the odd objective such as "Blow up building A" occur quite often, overall they are varied. Troop management plays an important role in the game; as well as being able to select troops, the men become important in-game, because every life lost really counts, with limited reinforcements, and the fact that units from one mission who are still alive at the end are carried into the next mission. Keeping hold of your core troops is also important if you want to take advantage of the skills they can pick up along the way which makes them better fighters, and even more important in your fighting force than the men who have just arrived.

The campaign should keep you occupied for quite some time; especially as some missions are often too difficult and will take a frustrating amount of time to complete, but if that wasn't enough the game also contains LAN and online functionality. Although it's unlikely to see the support that the hit Command & Conquer series gets online, there is still enough interest to find you an opponent to play on this possible cult hit.

Although not the most impressive 3D engine out there, Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps's Walker 2 engine actually does the job rather well; depicting the action quickly and effectively. At the same time it packs in a fair amount of detail on the historically accurate troops and vehicles. The game's native landscape probably doesn't it justice, but the vast nature is captured well. Thankfully the camera is handled well, providing a fixed view of the 3D action in order to easily play, while at the same time offering the freedom to zoom and rotate in case you need to get a better view of the impressive action.

Ratings

Graphics	Fairly impressive, if not groundbreaking, engine which presents a very good level of detail, and has the ability to zoom right in on the action.	7/10
Gameplay	Enjoyable, but sometimes frustrating gameplay. The decision to avoid base building and resource gathering was a good one, but it's not for everyone - particularly the C&C die-hard.	8/10
Value	A well rounded game that justifies it's price.	8/10
Lifespan	With plenty of missions which will keep you occupied for some time, as well as multiplayer, Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps isn't a game you will be putting down quickly.	8/10
Audio	Good quality sound completes the package.	7/10
Overall	Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps is not only an enjoyable real-time strategy game, but one that offers a different formula to the base building and resouce gathering usually present in C&C-style games, and also provides a setting which has until now been very rarely covered in computer games.	8/10

Click here to buy Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps from Amazon.co.uk.

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