The latest in Pyro's series of traditionally rock hard World War II strategy titles once more has the player in charge of a small team of Allied commandos battling the Nazis from behind enemy lines. At first, the game seems to work a lot like a real-time strategy title. You view your units from a camera angle high over the battlefield, as they follow the points and clicks of your plan of attack.
Each of your commandos fulfils a specific role. Over the course of the game's twelve missions, you'll make use of a spy, a sapper, a thief, a sniper, a green beret and - to a disappointingly lesser extent - a diver. Some missions grant you access to the majority of your outfit's skills while others strip your squad down to a lone man, depending on the briefing. Each man has a rather endearing, cartoonish personality with a purposefully over-the-top voice, but although Commandos 3 does attempt to introduce a narrative to the series, it remains fairly uninvolving and superficial throughout.
But the game's allegiance to the rules of real-time strategy wanes once you get your head round the delicacy of approaching each mission. The careful planning required, while not similar in function, is reminiscent of tactics-heavy titles like Rainbow Six, and the reliance on stealth throughout calls to mind Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid. The ability to spot the position of enemies with the prodding of a hot-key, and being able to see a single soldier's line of sight become the most essential tools of the game.
For all the reliance on careful planning and precision execution, the game does at times feel a lot more confrontational than previous titles. A subtle addition that makes a huge amount of difference is the ability to tell your troops to cover specific areas of the map and automatically fire upon enemies that enter their line of sight, enabling you to take a man or two off at a time to set up traps and ambushes elsewhere on one of the typically huge levels. Also helping to differentiate from the previous games are the horrible, stressful timed missions.
There aren't actually many new ideas in this, the third game in the series, and at twelve missions it might even seem a bit short to the grizzled, possibly magical veterans who lap it up. But trust me when I say that it's more than enough to keep you occupied. The addition of twelve-player deathmatch is a nice touch, too, but for some reason it comes at the cost of co-operative play from previous Commandos games.
Make no mistake that it is going to give you absolute hell, yet beyond the initial frustration at your apparent gaming impotence, attempting to penetrate its steely exterior becomes a bizarre pleasure that offers a triumphant sense of achievement. If you think you have the patience and what it takes to lead these men to victory, then be my guest. Give it your best shot