Commandos game is well worth the wait

SOMETIMES games languish on publishing schedules because they aren't very good. Sometimes they don't arrive on time because the developer needs extra time. Sometimes they miss the deadline for no apparent reason at all.

So it has been with Commandos 2 a title that has taken so long to arrive on the consoles that many (including me) had given up hope.

Remember this game was first announced as a Sega Dreamcast title - yes it really is that old.

What's more it's been out on the PC for eons. Our computer-owning brethren are already looking ahead to Commandos 3.

And with so many gamers owning both a PC and a console what's the point of lashing out on Commandos 2 if you've already got it?

Well quite big one actually because fans can expect plenty of changes.

Cosmetically this is the first Commandos game to be played in true 3-D. The maps can be zoomed in to Tomb Raider-esque proportions and zoomed out far enough so as to resemble a Command & Conquer clone.

All the character animations have also been reworked. The game runs smoother and faster as a result.

In case you haven't already guessed Commandos 2 is set in the Second World War. With Hitler's storm troopers sweeping across Europe and only the English channel standing between Britain and total capitulation something special is needed.

The Allies, realising the need for small teams of men capable of going where a large-scale army couldn't, put together the commandos of the title. Its their job to go behind enemy lines and pave the way for an Allied fight back.

Jerry "Tiny" McHale is the leader of this crack unit. Along the way he is able to call on the help of Sid Perkins a British Army driver, sniper and aristo Sir Francis Woolridge, explosives expert Tom Hancock and French spy Rene Duchamp. Oh, and not forgetting Whisky, the team's faithful mascot who comes in handy for distracting the enemy and carrying small items.

Sounds good? It gets better.

There is an adjustable difficulty level but even the lowliest setting proves a real challenge. The enemy AI in this game is fiendishly difficult. Commandos 2 operates on a line-of-sight basis and if one of your team is spotted the whole mission can go belly up in no time.

When even the training mission takes more than an hour you know this is a game that demands a heavy investment in time and patience if you are to succeed.

Commandos on the PC looked good and that graphical splendour has translated to the consoles very well indeed. This really is a very polished game with terrific atmospheric effects and good use of positional sound.

It would have been nice to play Commandos 2 with a mouse as the PS2 controller is a bit unwieldy at times. Until you have got to grips with which button does what expect to lose a few missions.

And I'd like to see a two-player co-operative mode implemented for the inevitable sequel.

That said Commandos 2 is definitely a title that has been worth the wait.

Neither the PS2 nor the X-Box's libraries are exactly overflowing with strategy titles and this game would make an excellent addition to any games library.

Dino Stalker. Format: PS2. Publisher: Capcom. Price: £33.99

THIS month sees the release of two games based around a dinosaur theme.

I'll discuss Turok: Evolution next week but first we have Dino Stalker another slice of survival horror from the experts at Capcom.

When you see the warning: " This game contains scenes of explicit gore and violence" at the start of a Capcom title it usually means you're in for a good time.

But Dino Stalker is built in the mode of Resident Evil: Gun Survivor, ie a light gun shoot-em-up rather than a Resi style action adventure, and every one agrees the first two Survivor games were pretty lame.

Dino Stalker offers a better plot (you are a WWII fighter pilot who drops through a rip in time into a dinosaur filled land) and stylish new graphics.

What's more it feels far less like you are "on rails" because many of the environments are free roaming (you can go where you like) although you do have limited time to explore.

Even the rigidly scripted levels (like the opening Pteranodon attack) are exciting affairs that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention.

Despite the standard warning this is a far less gruesome affair than the Resi games and probably has more in common with the Dino Crisis series with which it shares the prehistoric subject matter.

Dino Stalker isn't going to set a new benchmark in originality but it's fun in a mindless kind of way. The perfect game for the stressed gamer who's had a bad day at the office.

Make sure you play it all the way through to get the bonus two-player game.

Virus Watch

W32/Blinkom-A is a worm which attempts to spread via SMTP, IRC channels, KaZaA peer-to-peer shared folders, ICQ shared folders and by copying itself to drive A.

Emails may arrive on your PC with messages in either English or Spanish, and with one of many possible different filenames. Once activated, the worm also attempts to disable certain firewall programs (ZoneAlarm, BlackIce, Tiny and Sygate), and to delete files related to anti-virus software.

As it's hard to identify, follow the usual precautions of not opening any curious-looking emails. Luckily the virus isn't widespread, so the risk is fairly low.

For more information, free downloads and updates, visit www.f-secure.com

Published: 27/09/2002