World in Conflict review

Frighteningly, it's getting less difficult to imagine a world in which the Cold War never ended, the Berlin Wall never fell, and Russia embarked on a disastrous war with NATO forces in Europe. Still, in World in Conflict, the year is 1989, not 2007, and the overall flavour comes straight from Red Dawn, Firefox and the other anti-Soviet films of the period. Here, a desperate Russia makes a bold assault on American soil. Invading Seattle and the West coast, it's up to the US military to drive them back out and give them the whupping they deserve.

Luckily, its alternative history isn't the most interesting thing about World in Conflict. In its own way, this is one of the most innovative RTS games to emerge since Company of Heroes. Like Command & Conquer 3, it feels initially like a back-to-basics exercise, eschewing the complexities of recent genre games in favour of a more action-orientated approach. However, World in Conflict takes this a stage further. There's no base-building or resource gathering to be done at all; just a selection of troops, tanks, helicopters and armoured vehicles to command, and more that can be parachuted in as reinforcements. These require credits, and to earn them you need to occupy control points. The only problem is that those pesky reds are determined to do the same thing.

With little micro-management to occupy you, you're left to concentrate on the business of fighting. World in Conflict is a devilishly fast-paced RTS, and in the single-player levels it seems to borrow its basic structure not from Command & Conquer, but from squad-based military FPS games. The computer actually controls the majority of troops on the battlefield, and you're left in charge of a limited number of units, completing a series of smaller-scale objectives on which the battle as a whole will hinge. Your superior officer continually fires off your next orders, and you're expected to complete them, double time. Optional secondary objectives are also dished out, and as each level progresses much of the challenge is simply keeping up with demands.

In other words, this isn't your usual build-and-rush bonanza. You spend half your time defending control points from relentless Soviet attacks and, frankly, there are times when your brain will struggle with your main objectives.

You also have some hefty offensive powers in your favour. Most units have some form of special capability - heavy attacks to use against armoured units, demolition capabilities or anti-infantry attacks. Better still, you can access a range of support capabilities, enabling you to rain shells down on enemy positions, call in air strikes or even wipe out your target with a tactical nuke.

It isn't all in the best possible taste, but it certainly makes for a spectacular game. World in Conflict has become the poster-boy for DirectX 10 strategy games, and the sheer amount of debris, smoke, fire and sparks flying around onscreen at any time easily justifies the hype. However, the DirectX 9-powered version still looks excellent and will run on a fairly low-spec gaming PC.

Along with the lengthy single-player campaign, you get an equally compelling multiplayer mode. The online options are clearly modelled on Battlefield 2, with players able to drop in and out at will, accepting specific battlefield roles - infantry, armour, air or support - then co-operating with team-mates to win control of the map. Ranks, medals and badges offer a sense of recognisable achievement, and with its fast pace World in Conflict is sure to win favour with competitive gamers and lunchtime generals alike.