Rogue Spear Urban Operations

Herald rating: ****

Red Storm

MA15

Review: Peter Eley

You've played the game, now read the book, Rainbow Six. Rogue Spear is based on the best-selling Tom Clancy book about an elite multinational anti-terrorist squad.

It is compulsive reading. The level of detail about how these guys go about what must be one of the toughest jobs in the world is fascinating.

Until I'd read the book, I wrote off the game as just another strategy game, albeit a superior one.

Now, 1000 pages later, I have a definite feel for the game, and what these guys are trying to achieve.

And I realise now just what a good game it is, capturing the split-second, nerve-wracking skills necessary to blow up a door, throw in a few flashbangs and shoot half a dozen "progressive elements"(terrorists) without getting any hostages killed.

Rogue Spear has been around for a few months now, so its many fans - single player and online - will welcome the release of Urban Operations, an expansion pack which adds new life to the original game.

Don't expect lots of new weapons - sniper rifles, flashbangs and the like are still the staple diet of anti-terrorist squads.

Red Storm say the artificial intelligence has been enhanced, but any improvement seems to be marginal and sometimes the terrorists do seem incredibly dumb.

The real attraction of Urban Operations is two full-on campaigns each with five levels, a new mission mode called Defend, and eight big multiplayer maps.

As well, in the place of a true random map creator, Red Storm offer an editor which allows existing missions to be customised, effectively creating a new playing environment.