Their names were meant to inspire a sense of the power, and their deadliness – names like Panzers and Tigers. Countering them were names from an earlier historical time, but names that stood for valor and strategic might, names like Grant and Stuart.

The tank was a very-important piece of land-based artillery during World War II. It steamrolled across the European and African theatres, often deciding the outcome of battles, and determining the face of the raging war.

In May 2003, CDV breathed life into the Blitzkrieg series with the first title in the series that marked a look at the strategic battles of WWII. Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder is the third incarnation of the series (behind Blitzkrieg: Burning Horizons) and this time the focus is on the tank.

But fans of the series should not worry: the tank is not the only bit of weaponry at your disposal. The game still has mortars, transports and aviation elements that can be called into play.

There is a tutorial for those unfamiliar with the style of play, but for those ready to jump in and gun those engines to life, there are two modes of play – the campaigns and custom game. The campaigns, of which there are 18, are based on General George Patton’s movements during the second World War.

It begins with Operation Torch, the tentative first steps of the United States in a progressive march into Europe. In November 1942, Patton and his troops were tasked with taking the port of Casablanca, in Morocco. Though held by French troops, it was a strategic port that was wholly dependent on the Germans.

With clear air supremacy, and the French garrison unaware of the pending attack, it all seemed easy enough. There are three main objectives – conquer the port, conquer the garrison and conquer the base. But should you stop the French officers from manning their tanks, you will receive a bonus piece of artillery, an M10 tank destroyer. The last objective is timed and you have to be on your toes, with a fast and assured battle plan, to accomplish it in a hurry if you wish to secure the bonus reward.

Though the first mission is obviously on your side, the game does throw harder challenges as you move through the tactical missions. The game plays out in real time, and the only real stumbles this makes is that you can’t seem to rotate the camera to get a view of the battlefield. The position is locked in to third-person perspective, from above, and if enemy units are behind walls, you can’t see them until they fire on your positions. The game also condenses the action and total units into representative units.

After completing a scenario, you will be graded on your achievement and units will receive promotions. Upgrades to your units may also become available. And while Operation Torch seems relatively simple, against an unprepared enemy, don’t count on that remaining the case as the game progresses.

The enemy gets tougher and the AI really does a great job of challenging players. And since you do have to complete a scenario to advance to the next mission, it falls to the player to think quickly, react to the counterstrikes of the enemy and use all the weapons – artillery, mobile and air support – at their command.

The graphics of this game feel a little old when compared to some of the graphics the most recent crop of real-time war games are sporting. The animations are good, and the special effects are adequate, but it almost feels that neither are the star of this release. Instead, the game spins on the challenge, and the historical accuracy. The maps are finite, and the objectives very clear cut; there is little room for reworking history.

The game’s sound is also par for the genre.

Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder is a solid RTS title; it just does not offer anything really new, or truly exciting to the genre. Still, if you want a glimpse of the Patton campaigns during World War II, this game provides a good look.

Gameplay: 7.7
The control elements have a short learning curve, and players familiar with real-time strategy games should have little trouble jumping in and playing this. The tutorial seems a little simplistic, but if a player has never experienced this type of game, it does a good job.

Graphics: 7.5
The game does look nice, but this is a game that fails to allow players to zoom in tight on the action and the soldier units are quite tiny. You will have a tough time determining which unit is a rifle unit and which may carry other artillery at a glance. This is not that good with missions that move on the fly.

Sound: 7.0
A looped musical score that can get a bit irritating after a while, the game does – nonetheless – sport decent, if not average, combat sounds.

Difficulty: Medium
There are four difficulty levels built to challenge players of all skills, from easy to suicide.

Concept: 7.0
This is a solid title, but it really brings nothing new to the genre and feels a little dated when compared to the current crop of war games.

Overall: 7.5
CDV has a good strategic vehicle here, but it is merely average. The game could use a graphical upgrade to bring it forward into the new technological wave of games, and the sound is somewhat typical of the genre, a year or so ago. Still, Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder is a solid real-time strategy war game that should have appeal to veteran and novice gamers alike. The game has a short learning curve and the AI ramps up nicely to present a very solid and challenging experience.