Star Wars Battlefront (PC)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Battlefront turns the Star Wars universe into a huge game that scores heavily on graphics and sound. And that will delight the legions of fans of the saga.

But are excellent production values enough to vault the game beyond being merely good?

The jury is out, mainly because once stripped of its eye candy, Battlefront becomes a game that won't challenge experienced action-game players over much in single-player mode.

That is mitigated to a large extent by its multiplayer mode, where human opponents take over from the computer, and the graphics form a superb backdrop to stimulating and combative gameplay that at times seems straight out of the movies.

While Star Wars games are almost always of high visual quality, some have been too short to justify their price.

Battlefront can't be accused of this failing and has four playable sides — rebels, imperials, clone troopers or droids, and more than 30 vehicles.

There are also two single-player modes — the mission-based historical campaign, where you can experience battles from the Clone Wars of the Galactic Civil War, and the Galactic Conquest.

The latter has more of a strategic style where the ultimate aim is to control the Star Wars galaxy, and many players will find this more challenging.

Both modes feature spectacular battles, with characters looking as though they have jumped straight out of the movie.

The game centres on the control of tactical positions called command posts scattered across the game map.

The more command posts under your control, the greater your military powers and the number of reinforcement units you can call on.

Much of the game is reminiscent of EA's highly-regarded Battlefield 1942, especially the huge number of vehicles, and fans of this game may well enjoy the switch from WWII planes and tanks to snowspeeders and X-wings.

* LucasArts, M15+

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