Product Reviews

Hammy voice acting and ludicrous accents have been an integral part of real-time strategy (RTS) games since the original Command and Conquer. Frontline: Fields of Thunder breaks the mould by using real German and Russian voices for its tank crews and infantry, which gives a more realistic feel to its battlefields.

Frontline is by Nival Interactive, which developed the Blitzkrieg RTS games, and deals with the 1943 tank battles between German and Russian forces around the city of Kursk. It looks very similar to the Blitzkrieg series, which is no bad thing. Towns and villages are

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lovingly modelled, explosions look realistic and there are detailed smoke and debris effects when you run over buildings and trees.

Unlike most RTS games, there is no base building in Frontline. You start each mission with a set number of men and vehicles, and these are reinforced only once you complete certain objectives. The game is also unforgiving. You're given the bare minimum of resources to prevail and one error can cost you the battle. If you make one tactical mistake, your tanks will be smoking wrecks before you realise what's going on.

You can call upon reconnaissance planes to scout for long-range artillery and fighter aircraft to strafe enemy positions, but you can call on air reinforcements only a certain number of times during each mission. This doesn't make the game any less frustrating, though. Even if you launch an attack under cover of your reconnaissance planes, you can still lose half your battalion to hidden anti-tank weapons before they even appear onscreen.

Frontline: Fields of Thunder looks good and may appeal to those who like a masochistic challenge. But it's too difficult and frustrating to recommend to the average gamer.