Hidden and Dangerous 2 (PC, MA15+)

Reviewed by PETER ELEY


Herald rating: * * * *

Britain's elite Special Air Services unit has earned a reputation for bringing off impossible missions.

The original Hidden and Dangerous took us back to the birth of the SAS, in 1940 at the height of World War II. The unit was formed to create havoc behind enemy lines, and its members quickly became the most feared troops on the battlefield.

The squad-based, stealth nature of Hidden and Dangerous was based on their wartime missions, and spawned a host of clone games, but it has taken four years for the sequel to be released. That could be because the game was plagued by infuriating glitches. Hidden and Dangerous 2 is much better, and visually superb.

The concept is similar, with an SAS squad undertaking missions across a variety of World War II battlefields, from the searing heat of North Africa to the frozen wastes of Norway.

Its attention to detail is amazing, with uniforms, weapons, vehicles and aircraft recreated to exact specifications. There are 20 missions played as a four-man squad and they can be replayed solo in lone wolf mode, which effectively doubles the length of the game.

One of the main problems with the original game was the confusing interface. It has been simplified this time around, which helps to make the game much easier to play.

For instance, you can pause the game to assign waypoints and tasks to individual soldiers, which buys you times during combat to plan your next move.

There are still a few glitches, but the superb graphics, gritty realism and sheer value for money make this one of the better World War II games around.

Label: Gathering


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