Indiana Jones wasn’t the only one stopping the Nazis from securing ancient artifacts in an occult-driven race to secure the power to control the world.

According to ancient legend, King Arjuna was given 12 special gifts by the gods, which he secured in his capitol city. These gifts are powerful enough to destroy a major city in the blink of an eye, and it is rumored that even the gods were intimidated by them, though they vowed to one day return and take them back to their realm.

Flash forward to 1942. Hitler knows the legend and has sent forces to Tibet to try to find the now-lost city, and take control of weapons so powerful that "the Sun and the Earth will tremble in fear." Only one man may be all that stands between the Nazis and the most powerful weapons ever seen.

Grom … Terror in Tibet, a PC release from CDV and Rebelmind, is an adventure game that combines elements of shooters and strategy. The game sports rich environments, though some of the mapboards are more or less mazes, a well-designed player interface, and animation that borders on the arcade. The dialogue may be a little hokey, and the storyline may seem like it was pulled from an Indiana Jones adventure, but Grom manages to intrigue and delight. This is a fun game to play.

The title character is Colonel Grom, a man who fought the Nazi invasion in his native Poland. After Poland fell, Grom ­ refusing to surrender and vowing to continue the fight ­ fled the country but was captured by the Red Army and sent to a labor camp in Kazakhstan. Learning that his family was killed in a bombing raid over Warsaw, he escaped, and in trying to make his way to join the British forces, seemingly died in a blizzard in the mountain ranges he was valiantly trying to cross. It was there that a lama, a Tibetan holy man, found his lifeless body and restored him to the world, tearing out the vengeance in his heart in the process. He stayed in Tibet, the "Roof of the World," as a protector for caravans. Eventually he met Petr, a Czech who smuggled goods between China and India, and the two became partners.

And then the Nazis came to Tibet.

Game features include seven chapters with about 100 different locations, more than 40 characters (up to five playable at once), a combination of two-dimensional landscapes with three-dimensional characters working through it, and real-time combat. You can issue orders to one character, the select another and issue order to them as well.

The special effects are well done, though the enemy AI is suspect.

Fans of RTS games will recognize the drag-box to group characters and issue orders, as well as the point-and-click command elements. Also a right click and hold on the main screen and the nudge of the mouse will pull up a wheel menu, featuring a host of movement commands. The control elements will take about 10-15 minutes to get comfortable with, but once you understand the essentials, the overall interface makes a lot of sense.

The sound features three-dimensional movie effects. Unfortunately the vocal acting seems a little wooden

Graphically, this game has a very nice look. The elements are somewhat arcade-like, with standard RTS health bars, pop-up menus, and tabbed sub-menus. Each mapboard has exit locations, which launches a map with Grom standing on it. You can scroll the mapboard and click on where you want Grom to move. However, don’t be surprised if bandits or other threats interrupt the journey.

Grom does not have the most original storyline, nor is it likely to revolutionize the world of action-adventure games. That said, Grom is a light and enjoyable game. It looks good and designers have done the best they could to make it a user-friendly experience. They have done their jobs very well. The game may border on over-the-top scripting, but the character interaction, the effects and the feel of the game make for fun time in this well-designed world.

Grom … Terror in Tibet is rated Teen for mild language and violence.

Gameplay: 7
The game is somewhat linear in nature, the mapboards are static and not entirely interactive and the AI is a little simplistic. Once into a scenario, the gameplay is smooth and the load times are negligible.

Graphics: 7.7
The combination of two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics works very well here. Movement borders on the robotic; characters move but it really isn’t free movement. The characters move horizontally, vertically and diagonally, but there doesn’t seem to be full-range free movement. Special effects look nice. Cutscenes have pixilization issues. The overall look of the game is bright and colorful.

Sound: 7.2
The game sports rich effects but the vocal acting can be a little wooden.

Difficulty: Medium
The game gets progressively tougher as you move through it. And the movements around the game map (as in moving from one location to another) can spring up surprises that players can either try to avoid or confront (shooting it out is not always the best option in this game).

Concept: 7.5
The game’s plot seems borrowed from the Indiana Jones style and themes, and the scripting is a little weak. However the interface is well done and this game is player friendly.

Overall: 7.3
Grom is a light action-adventure game. Though it does not sport the most original elements, the game still manages to entertain, and it has a solid look and plays well.