Full Spectrum Warrior

Reviewed by JON MINIFIE

Herald rating * * * * *

Full Spectrum Warrior came about when Pandemic Studios was recruited by the US Army to create a training simulator for future squad leaders.

The gameplay was designed to simulate command of a US light infantry squad. As squad leader you will control two teams; Alpha and Bravo. Each team has a team leader and three soldiers under their respective commands. Through these, you control all four men simultaneously.

Switching back and forth between your two teams can be fiddly at first, but players will need to learn to use them in unison. Moving troops is as easy as positioning a cursor and pressing the "A" button.

They then move to that waypoint, taking cover against a wall, corner, or behind an object where they won't be exposed to enemy fire. Players can also use the "fog of war" device to highlight areas where they might be vulnerable to enemy attack.

Once you spot a target, you can engage them in a variety of ways.

Players can open up a fire sector, which means your teams will fire at anything in that zone, from the safety of cover. You can also lob grenades or use the M-203 Grenade Launcher.

If you need to move through the open to a better firing position, smoke grenades provide temporary cover.

Action fans looking for Rambo-style rampages should look elsewhere. This is about being smart not brave and bad decisions can mean curtains. Lose two squad members and you automatically restart from the beginning or the last save point.

The single-player experience is based around the campaign missions but so is the online game. There is no death matching, multiplayer is strictly two-player co-op and runs through the missions the same as in single player, only each player has control of a team for the duration, plus you have voice chat through Xbox Live.

Military games have flourished post-September 11 but much kudos has to go to Pandemic and THQ for dreaming up a game as ambitious and original as Full Spectrum Warrior which takes military-style gaming to a new level.

Xbox $109.95

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