Description:
Atomic Games's Close Combat series, now published by the war-gaming veterans at SSI and Mindscape, continues with its fourth title, Close Combat: Battle of the Bulge. Atomic Games stands by an old adage by not messing with success; Battle of the Bulge retains many of the interface and game-play elements of the first three Close Combat titles; only the scenarios and geography have changed. For its latest installment, Atomic Games focuses the battles (across several dozen campaign and individual missions) and geography around the historical Battle of the Bulge. Players can command American or German troops and control a variety of military forces, including infantry, snipers, machine gunners, and flame throwers, as well as order air strikes and artillery deployment. Overall, the graphical detail of the terrain and pyrotechnics are quite good, but some players may struggle to locate the tiny military units on the murky mud terrain or bright white snow. Computer-controlled artificial intelligence provides a formidable challenge during the single-player game. Along with the solo campaign, Close Combat: Battle of the Bulge offers both an Internet multiplayer option and a complex scenario editor for hours of additional playability. If you're a fan of the first three Close Combat games or searching for an in-depth military simulation, check out Atomic Games's Close Combat: Battle of the Bulge. --Doug Radcliffe
| 
