C&C: Covert Operations

Review by:    Dale Wilks

Game     :    Command & Conquer: Covert Operations
Publisher:    VIE
Format   :    CD-ROM
Available:    Out now

Requires:

Processor:    486/33 or better
O/S:          MS-DOS 5.0 or higher
RAM:          8MB RAM
Graphics:     VGA card 
CD-Rom:       Double speed CD-ROM drive
Soundcard:    All major cards supported
                   
This is an add-on for Command & Conquer.
As such, you need a copy of the original game to run it! 

Tested on:

O/S      :    Windows 95
Processor:    Pentium 120
RAM      :    16Mb
Graphics :    SVGA (1Mb)
CD-ROM   :    Quad-speed
Soundcard:    Soundblaster AWE32
Controls :    Keyboard

AS A RULE, I don`t like strategy games like Civilization, Sim City et al.

Borrrring. Yawn city. I suppose it`s because I`m a bit of an impatient so-and-so, and I can`t abide waiting around for the computer to take it`s move, or for me to amass enough money or whatever. For that reason I largely ignored the release of Command & Conquer, despite the fact that everybody and his dog owned it and said it was brilliant and stuff.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I decided to cock a snook at the demo and see what everyone was so excited about. Er…and it`s a bit good, isn`t it? Utterly brilliant in fact. The sound! The graphics! The rendered video! The big guns, and huge explosions! (Quite important to me - you see, if I destroy an enemy or get destroyed myself, I like to see an impressive display of pyrotechnics with great plumes of smoke billowing across the battlefield, not for the enemy to shatter into several polygons and disappear. Call me picky, but there it is.)

Yes, I am converted! Hallellulja, or something.

So, Covert Operations, then. Well, it`s an add-on that requires the original Command & Conquer game. The term data disk is used very loosely here, as Covert Operations comes on a CD, full of more of what makes the first game such a stunner. First though, a word of warning - Covert Operations contains 7 new GDI (yay!) and 8 new NOD (boo!) missions which are aimed squarely at those that have completed the original and are thirsting for more, and these missions throw you firmly in the deep end. Yes, they`re hard, very hard infact. Building a huge force and then killing everything in sight simply doesn`t work here, and even when I had a massive army of tanks, flame-throwers and bazooka troops, I still got my butt kicked whenever I tried to attack the enemy base.

In addition to the missions, Covert Operations has more video, more music, 10 new multiplayer maps, 7 audio tracks that you can play in your CD player (they`re not bad either, very moody and dramatic and in a variety of musical styles), and upon installation your original C&C is patched to the latest version, 1.20. Incidently, you might want to choose to have a look at the introduction (from the front end) again, too - there`s previews of Red Alert and Tiberian Sun, the next two games in the series from Westwood.

So then, if you fancy yourself as a bit of a hard case at C&C, and want a further challenge, then this is for you. Oh, and if you haven`t got the original game yet, then go get it. It`s one of the best games I`ve played in a very long time.

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Rating: 8/10 (Recommended)
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