Panzer Elite Action (PC)

A splendid looking tank sim, that achieves a perfect balance between the 'fiddlyness' of a more faithful but complex simulation; and the unrealistic oversimplification of an arcade 'shoot 'em up'. Very easy to learn the controls needed to direct your own tank and deploy those of your accompanying troop. The game operates very much along the lines of 'Band of Brothers' and its ilk. The tank's forward/back/left/right being controled with WASD keys, and the mouse aiming the turret-mounted gun and machine gun. A neat little map sits on the top-right of the screen, giving details of your position, range of view, direction of travel, mission objectives, supply depots, enemy forces, and also accurately indicates terrain features. There are also readouts to indicate damage sustained, as well as airstrikes and ammunition remaining. The 'binocular' viewing feature enables you to stop at a secure 'hull-down' position and survey the battlefield ahead to check for an enemy ambush or counter-attack, and call-in an air strike on the position if necessary. Maintanence, repair, refuelling and rearming can be done by merely parking next to a depot. Graphic and audio detail is very atmospheric and excellent in almost every respect, with beautifully rendered vehicles, trees and buildings, and a convincing 'fog of war'.

AI isn't too bad, with the enemy's armour (Panzer IVs, Panthers, and Tigers) steadily increasing in their cunning as they increase in their lethality. Just as in the fighting in France, if someone says there are Tigers ahead you'll need to find a way to get around behind them to their more vulnerable rears. Even then you'll have to pump a few rounds into them whilst using your speed, manouverability and cunning to avoiding their return fire. There is a suspension of realism when it comes to taking hits. In reality, a Tiger could knock-out a Sherman with one shot from about 3 kilometers away without the Sherman even knowing it was there, but this would greatly slow the pace of the game, so your tank has what amounts to a 'health' readout, which visibly reduces with each hit taken. Hits from an 88mm gun will turn you into scrap very quickly; especially as you have to shorten the range for your gun to be more effective in return. If you are destroyed, you at least have the option of returning to your last checkpoint rather than start from scratch.

Gameplay is exciting and adrenaline-pumping, as you have to not only formulate strategy, and tactically deploy your unit, but drive and man the guns in the pell-mell of battle too; which takes some honing of skill, as you have to take some realistic gunnery factors into consideration. Accuracy is increased if you are stationary, as even if the sight is 'on target' the rocking motion of the tank can cause you to miss; not to mention having to calculate fall of shot and the deflection required if both the enemy's tank as well as your own are moving in different directions. Just like the ace tankers of WWII though, with practice you'll be able to shoot on the move.

Not many niggles really. The graphics can sometimes get a bit 'fuzzy' as the game puts your video card through it's paces.
As it is controlled by the mouse, the only viewing option available is from directly behind the turret in line with the gun. It would be good to be able to see things from other perspectives too, such as the driver's, as when crashing through trees you can easily be exposing yourself to enemy fire and getting shot to bits in the process; whilst your own viewpoint from way back behind the tank is still totally obscured by foliage. A movie mode to replay the mission would be good too.
Some of the objects on the battlefield do behave and interact oddly. For instance, you can crash right through a stoutly-built stone cottage; but not a small garden wall, and your tank just bounces straight off an abandoned Waco glider, which was made of plywood over a lightweight steel frame!

All-in-all, I think it will become second only to my beloved 'IL-2 Sturmovik' set as my most played game. I'll be buying the full version as soon as it comes out at the end of March.