Product Reviews

In the midst of the Second World War, you find yourself in the shoes of Captain Lewis Stone, whose plane has been downed by anti-aircraft fire whilst on a top secret reconnaissance mission. You're soon transported to a German POW camp, which is where the real action begins. Prisoner of War provides some genuinely tense moments as you tiptoe and shuffle your way around the camp. But if it's Medal of Honor-style action you're looking for, you've come to the wrong place.

In the camp, you're forced to watch the clock and make sure you attend roll calls and suchlike, so as not to rouse suspicion of your planned breakout. Therefore, the speedy capture of your co-pilot is welcome,

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as he helps by distracting the guards while you go for a snoop. Sneaking around gives you access valuable items, such as money and keys, to gain access to other more secure parts of the camp.

A map in the bottom-left corner of the screen shows your surroundings and, more importantly, where the guards are. Keeping an eye on it proves invaluable - it also shows which way the guards are facing, so you can make sure you don't get caught! Items such as boot polish can be picked up from your fellow POW's and used as camouflage for night excursions, and it's neat little tricks like this that make Prisoner of War a joy to play.

Escaping isn't always as much fun as it could be, though. The controls tend to become fiddly at the most inconvenient moments, and the artificial intelligence of the guards is not always particularly lifelike. And only being able save the game whilst in your barracks can be frustrating, especially when you have a lot of retracing of steps to do after getting rumbled by those pesky Nazis.

Prisoner of War is a decent game, and if sneaking around and puzzling your way to freedom appeals, you won't be disappointed. However, I'm off to play with my little tank in Battlefield: 1942. Aah, guns - now that's more like it.