Fallout Tactics is an immensely detailed if not immensely exciting game.  Set in a post apocalyptic world in which technology is controlled by the very few, Fallout Tactics plays with the same ideas which inspired such movies as "Mad Max", "Steel Dawn", and the never forgotten "Hell comes to Frog Town".  The creators of Fallout Tactics do manage to add their own unique twist to the post apocalyptic story by their introduction of the vaults.  The Vaults were the shelters of those deemed necessary to the survival of the human race and it is from these vaults that technology flows into the Post Nuclear Holocaust that is earth.  Also emerging from the vaults, or more accurately one vault in particular, is the Brotherhood of Steel.  The Brotherhood is a technologically advanced military group that has entered into agreements with villages to get recruits; in return the brotherhood offers protection from raiders that are so prevalent in these burnt out wastelands.  This brings us to the story as it involves you.  As a low level grunt it is your duty to clear out a group of raiders and secure an alliance with a local village.

Fallout Tactics requires a large amount of free space on a hard drive.  The minimum installation is a whopping 745MB.  It progresses from that point up to a massive 1.6GB installation.  These numbers do not include the installation of Gamespy which is necessary to access the multi player option over the internet or the installation of the most updated version of DirectX.  On the lighter side, I had no problems with installation despite the immense size.

The starting movies and histories indicate a graphical mastery that seemed lacking throughout the rest of the game.  The in-game character models, while moderately customizable, were plain and un-descriptive.  The scenery was similarly lackluster.  In addition, the layering of terrain was sometimes confusing or poorly executed.   This was a particular problem in the way that if a character is in a building you can only see inside that building if you have that particular character selected.  This creates confusion when trying to move other troops in to support the first character’s position.

The sound ranged from seemingly wandering music to eerie silence, which under the life or death circumstances of the game seemed strangely appropriate.  The sounds of gunshots are much more intense when they punctuate the sudden and unexpected silence.  There is also a decent amount of voice acting in the game.  I think they were particularly adept when casting the grizzled General Barnaky.  If anything could trigger flash backs to the trauma of watching Full Metal Jacket it's the voice of General Barnaky.

Despite some graphical simplicity, Fallout Tactics is a highly organized and complex game that requires you to rapidly assess the strengths and weaknesses of characters and put their strengths to the greatest benefit.  From the first mission you begin to learn the strengths and weaknesses of certain Tactics.  Don't be surprised if you die or lose characters a few times.  Fallout Tactics can be pretty brutal when it comes to mistakes.

The multiplayer function is setup interestingly allowing you to build squads from a pool of available recruits with a limited amount of resources.  Better units cost more so it is possible to have a smaller more highly trained squad or a more massive but less individually effective force.

Overall Fallout Tactics has only one major problem.  The game moves far too slowly.  Actions take too long, movement can seem to take an eternity, especially when wounded or trying to be sneaky.  This single factor is by far the largest problem the game has and there is simply no way to get around it.  It takes too much effort to maintain interest in conflicts which seem to drag on.  I often felt that after assigning my characters that I could walk away from the computer without fear of missing the actions conclusion.

Fallout Tactics is a game that is destined to be a favorite of fans of the series as well as fans of the AD&D style games.  It will not however become a standard among games.  It is a game that would not be put into one of its own vaults.  It would be allowed to remain in the outside world and be nuked until its memory was nothing more than fallout.

Install: Easy
This game is not for a light weight system.  The minimum install consists 745MB.  While the medium and full range from a robust 1.2GB to a massive 1.6GB installation.

Graphics: 6.5 
The in game graphics were unexceptional, but the movies were nice.  The movies in combination with the care taken to design sprites for  each individual item and the amusing antics of the cartoon boy saved this game graphic from being simply mediocre.

Sound: 8
A decent amount of spoken dialogue as well as crisp sound effects add an element of atmosphere that the graphics fail to.

Concept: 7.5 
The game plays very similarly to any of the AD&D based games.  Think Baldur's Gate in a post apocalyptic world instead of a fantasy one.

Overall: 7.5
The effort is there, and by fans of the series, this game will undoubtedly be appreciated.  I however felt that Fallout Tactics was a low point for for and otherwise high end game publisher.  While far from a bargain bin title, Fallout Tactics does not offer enough to earn it a solid place in the high end games market.