Medal of Honour: Allied Assault (EA PC, Mature)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * * )

Medal of Honour: Allied Assault is just about the best PC war game, and the Spearhead expansion pack is of the same quality.

Allied Assault is set in the later stages of World War II and puts the player in the shoes of an American major who undertakes a series of behind-the-lines missions.

The game was inspired by the movie Saving Private Ryan, and some of the action is gut-wrenchingly real.

Perhaps the best mission is the D-Day landing, where you have to jump from a landing craft into the surf and fight your way to safety along a Normandy beach.

Just when you think you've made it, your captain sends you back through the fire to retrieve some explosives from a dead soldier.

Spearhead picks up the reality theme, with nine single-player levels taking you from Normandy to Berlin.

Some new weapons are introduced, notably heavy artillery and smoke grenades.

The missions are first-class, with the same heart-pounding action as the original game, but they won't take a good player too long to clock.

peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz