Publisher: Talonsoft
Developer: Refraction

Here's something a little different. Talonsoft and Refraction bring us Codename Eagle, a mission-based first-person shooter set in an alternate WWI timeline. You play as Red, an agent on an espionage team that must hinder the military efforts of the Russian Army. Whether by design or not, Codename Eagle does parallel various Russian things.

Like a lot of Russian military hardware, Codename Eagle is relatively stable if somewhat unrefined. The game installs smoothly and runs well on reasonable system requirements. The tradeoff, much like the visual difference between the sexy American fighter jets compared to the grittier Russian planes, is in graphical appeal. Although Codename Eagle features full moons, wavy seas and some nice smoke effects, other visuals are dated. Most objects are boxy and humans have that two-dimensional "look the same from any angle" bitmap construction.

Yet the collective effect, by intention or not, befits Codename Eagle's old-fashioned WWI theme. The game is often dark but environments are convincing and the varied terrain sprawls across mountains, rivers, valleys, and forests. Villages, air bases, and bridges punctuate the landscapes. The graphics engine is scalable and supports resolutions from 320x200x16 to 1280x1024x32.

Sound effects are decent, with plenty of weapon fire and vehicle rumbling occupying the background, though the soundtrack is too harsh and overpowering.