Title: Commandos 2 (http://www.eidosinteractive.co.uk/games/embed.html?gmid=78)
Developer: Pyro (http://www.pyrostudios.com/)
Publisher: Eidos (http://www.eidos.com)

The sequel to hit military strategy game Commandos, which was one of those infuriatingly annoying games that just had to be played over and over again. This sequel will have an updated engine with a higher resolution, slicker backgrounds and the ability to move around inside buildings, not just hide out in them. The viewpoint remains very much top down and you still take charge of an elite group of WWII hard case. All the old characters are present and correct - green beret, driver, marine, sapper, sniper and spy - with the addition of Natasha, a buxom character from the add on mission pack Beyond The Call Of Duty and a brand new thief.

Interestingly the developers will be introducing a more relaxed gameplay regime. The original was heavily criticised for being a tad too hard, as you were quite restricted on each level. There was a certain route you had to take to on each level to be able to complete it. In this update the enemy visibility routines have been relaxed and little. For example it will now take a little longer for sentry to spot you and fire, making 'running for it' a much plausible solution this time around. Another addition is extra help from Allied soldiers who can now help you in firefights.

Let's just hope Pyro creates the perfect sequel, building on the strengths of the original and not tweaking too much with the gameplay dynamics. The release date has been blighted with setbacks and Commandos should now be available in June.

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