Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg Looks uncannily like Sudden Strike 2\ so much so you'd be forgiven for thinking it's the unofficial third game in the series. This is apparently not the case, despite coming from the same publisher and the same part of the world, namely Russia. So what is Blitzkrieg then? Rather than a reinforcement for SS2's botched assault, it is in fact an ambitious attempt to marry the kind of accessibility and playability of Sudden Strike with all the depth and detail of a hardcore sim such as Close Combat. With proper 3D units and a lovely terrain engine, the game offers far more detail and accuracy than SS, with excellent unit animation, a huge variety of units and a much greater emphasis on realism and battlefield tactics. New units from France and Italy are an intriguing prospect (expect the Italian campaign to be short), as is the option for your troops and tanks to dig in. Experience can be carried through each campaign and even factors like morale will be taken into consideration, so expect to see your troops running away if you send them into a deadly ambush.

It may be best to keep your Pocket Guide To WWII Tanks' by your side playing this one, but if the developers can truly marry all this detail with excitement and ease of use, we could be looking at one of the finest WWII strategy games ever made.