Even at this stage however the AI is well in place and players can expect the computer to put up quite a fight. The developers did an excellent job making sure that the enemy acts appropriately to the mission objectives. When defending, the enemy will dig in and attempt to repulse a direct attack as necessary and will act equally aggressively when leading an attack. As with most true military simulations, armor needs to be properly supported unless you want burning wrecks instead of well-armed tanks of course!

At this point Squad Leader looks well on track to deliver some serious action that should appeal to serious wargamers while also managing to recruit those looking for something a little different. Some of the scenarios will probably still have to sacrifice realism for the sake of balanced gameplay, like obviously supplying both sides with the right mix of troops to win, something that didn't really happen too often. But because the game focuses on rather small unit combat, it is possible to have a successful career as a German soldier in the Battle of the Bulge campaign even if it was the twilight for the German army. The bottom line is that fans of Squad Leader have been waiting for a long time, and it looks like the wait may be soon over and if all things go as planned the wait will probably be worth it too!

By
Peter Suciu
Contributing Editor