Blitkrieg 2 is a WWII real-time strategy game that is sure to lure fans of the genre to pick this one up. For the most part it is worth grabbing. There are plenty of single-player missions that you can play, and gamers have the choice of playing three campaigns based on German, American and Russian WWII battlefield actions.

There are 60 single-player and 10 multi-player missions contained within the three campaigns. The campaigns take place in seven countries, ranging from the deserts of North Africa to the snowy forests of the Ardennes. Campaigns include historic battles like the Battle for North Africa, Operation Husky, Operation Cobra, and the Battle of the Bulge to name a few. I believe that the missions are historically accurate and are not only fun and exciting to play, but are a challenge even at the easiest setting. You will have the capability of toggling the difficulty settings that will ensure hours of replayability. One other vital piece worth mentioning in there is also a game editor which will allow you to customize the game to create 'what if' and other WWII battles. You can save these and exchange them with other fans creating limitless gameplay. Of course there is a multiplayer feature as well. OUTSTANDING!

The tutorial does a nice job of getting you used to the game. This will give most gamers the jumpstart they need to get going quickly. Though the hotkeys are pointed out, I found that clicking on the in-game icons was a bit easier because there are so many hotkeys to memorize. The manual goes over the game in limited detail, so I strongly advise playing through all the tutorials. There is also a helpful in-game encyclopedia that goes over the units in great detail. This aids in determining which units will be more beneficial in different scenarios.

The game plays like most war-type 3D RTS games and quite honestly plays pretty well. There are many different unit types including more than 250 types of historically accurate troops, including 60 varieties of ground infantry that are available throughout the game. There is also new player-controlled aircraft and naval units that diversify gameplay, allowing for targeted air strikes, coastal bombardments, and more realistic campaigns. My favorite characteristic of this title is that in most scenarios, calling in a bunch of tanks will not ensure you a victory. The game relies heavily on tactics and because your reinforcements are limited, you are forced to employ strategies like scout and destroy, flanking maneuvers, bombing raids, etc.

Blitzkrieg 2 does not use a gather resource and build units type of structure. It relies on calling in a set amount of reinforcements that can be chosen from a list available to you. If you expend all your reinforcements too soon you may not have enough units to finish all the scenario’s objectives. In short, use them wisely.

Tactical battlefield commanders may now be requisitioned by the player. Once appointed, a commander can help one core army unit to advance in experience, earning upgrades and unique capabilities such as entrenchment or improved combat effectiveness. Additional commanders become available to the player as a reward for successful completion of various campaign objectives. As a reward for demonstrating battlefield prowess, the player gains access to upgrades and newly introduced (historically appropriate) units. It’s not about racing to build a bunch of tanks and attempting to destroy your enemy, but rather employing different strategies to effectively claim victory over your opponent.

Armor penetration is calculated realistically and only appropriate caliber weapons and munitions are capable of damaging or destroying certain armor units. For example, you will never see a machinegunner taking out heavy tanks. Random hit calculations consider armor sloping, angle of shots and other variables that may yield a devastating critical hit or a lucky life-saving deflection. You will usually see your tank fleeing in reverse giving the enemy a shot at the more heavily armored front of the tank. If a tank is fired from behind, it’s a quick loss. I liked the fact that even while fleeing, the tanks would utilize the machineguns and attempt to mow down attacking infantry. This usually worked quite well even with certain pathfinding issues. Vehicle tracks may be broken or thrown by terrain and enemy fire; which immediately immobilizes the unit. Disabling a unit this way may sometimes be nearly as effective as destroying it outright. Sometimes it is a good call to utilize unfavorable tank terrain when planning an ambush. A tank without a track is a sitting duck!

Infantry and vehicles may now entrench to obtain defensive bonuses. Most units require the assistance of a nearby engineer unit; others inherently possess this skill, or may gain these capabilities organically.

In my opinion this will sure to please fans of the genre. I found Blitzkrieg 2 enjoyable and fun to play. Sure it has a minor issue with pathfinding abilities, and an awkward interface compared to most RTS titles similar in stature, but overall the good outweighs the bad. Nice Job!

Graphics: 8.0
There are some stunning visual effects, but as with most RTS games when there are a ton of units on the field, the frame rates can slow down significantly on lower powered systems. The 3D engine allows zooming, rotating and panning of the camera. This provides not only more attractive in-game visuals, but also offers a greater degree of tactical and map-wide battlefield awareness. The explosions look great and there is nothing like bodies falling like rag dolls from a mortar hit.

Sound: 7.0
The sound was decent. Pretty much your standard WWII battleground sound effects coupled with a mediocre musical score.

Difficulty: Medium
You can toggle the difficulty settings to make the game as easy or as hard as you like. The biggest challenge is learning the user interface as well as familiarizing yourself with all the units.

Concept: 7.0
Nothing new here, another WWII RTS game. I did like the different camera angles and the option of zooming in. Another positive note is the ability to create your own games.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Signing up on the Web site was a piece of cake, and I am looking forward to more online play as soon as the community grows. The games I did play played smoothly on a DSL connection and I was able to be matched up in about one minute.

Overall: 8.2
Though it is nice to have some 250 units at your fingertips to command, it is almost too much to learn. Those looking for a game that you can load and play effectively will find this pretty easy to learn on the easy difficulty setting. Those gamers looking for countless battle strategies with a variety of units and numerous possibilities will find this title to be a good bet.