Theatre Of War 2: The Curtain Lifts

Great - it looks like I'm going to get to use my 'The smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the Krauts.' strapline again. Theatre of War, one of the more wargamerly WW2 RTSs of recent years, is about to spawn a sequel. Going by this hot-off-the-compiler Russian-language demo, that sequel will please a lot more grogs than its parent did.

Anyone brave enough to fumble their way through the install process and menu Cyrillic is rewarded with two battle scenarios. The first is a tutorial involving jeep ferrying, Vickers MG crewing, and the evisceration of a trio of Panzers IIs (find bazookas in a crate next to the burning truck). The second, a much more elaborate specimen, recreates some Kasserine Pass nastiness.

Though the setup - assaulting a trench-ringed settlement with a mix of armour and infantry - is worryingly familiar (too many of ToW's scenarios had a similar premise) the addition of features like accessible structures and on-map artillery ensure things feel fresh. Now, if only 1C would let the folk responsible for the ToW promo vid, write their campaign plots and do their cutscenes.