The Cold War just defrosted

Genre: Real-time strategy

Created by: Westwood

Published by: Virgin

There have been a lot of Red Alert wannabee’s lately: Dark Colony, Conquest Earth, 7th Legion,etc., but few of them could topple the top which is: Total Annihalation, Warcraft II and Red Alert. Recently there was another real-timer that could topple those three, which is Starcraft, the sequel to Warcraft. Dark Reign, KKND 1&2 and the suprising Earth 2150 where very good real-timers, but missed, in my opinion, the charm of the top. But with Starcraft and the still-to-come C&C 2: Tiberian Sun, thngs might change on the top. So, I don’t think there is a person who doesn’t know real-time strategy games or Red Alert. The intention is quite simple: Build a base, harvest ore, crystels, gas or whatever, make defensive constructions, make units and tanks, and destroy the enemy. All real-timers, how original it is, is based on this way of working. In Red Alert you can command either the at first somewhat pathetic and weak Allies, or the powerful Sovjets. Both teams have their strong points and weaknesses. The Allies are mighty on sea with their destructive cruisers, have the Chronosphere, a weapon that can "beam" a unit up and place it anywhere on the map, and can rely on the arts of Tanya, an elite soldier who can shoot infantry like ducks in a barrel. With the Allies however you’ll have more difficult time and you’ll have to use more sneaky strategies because the Sovjets are stronger in overall. The Sovjets are our weird English talkin’(You know: Agnoledge and Yes sirrr) communist buddies. They are the strongest on land, with their heavy and Mammoth tanks and are covered in the air by Hinds, YAK’s and MIG’s. Their secret weapon is the Iron Curtain, a device that makes a unit or structure invulnarable. But it takes one heck of a lot time to charge and the effects only stay for a short time. In conclusion: The Sovjets rely on their pure power and numeric overweight.

The graphics run on a bitmap engine, which now looks pretty old and primitive. The units also look kinda poor. But, for a game that is 2 years old, the graphics look fine. The music is superb: Atmosphere-creating music pounds in your very skull. When you select a unit you hear the classic "Affirmative, Yes Sir(rrr) and Awaiting orders". The gameplay and adictiviness are the best in any real-timer, and only perhaps Starcraft has broken the record, but keep in mind that Red Alert is 2 years older! There are two types of missions: Campaign and multiplayer. The multiplayer options are: Serial cable, Internet, IPX-

LAN and Skirmish. The Skirmish missions actually are singleplayer missions, played on multiplayer maps (There are about 25) and against one or more computer opponents. This is something that extends the lifespan of this game.

EP sez:

Red Alert is a classic. If you haven’t bought it before, then you are a culture barbarian.

(c) 1996 Erwin's Pages
Erwin "Reaper" Husin

Score

Gameplay: 10

Graphics: 8

Sound & Music: 9,5

Addictiviness: 10

Overall: 95,5%

Links

> Official Red Alert Site
> Westwood