Codename: Panzers - Cold War has had a bit of a troubled thanks to the collapse of its developers Stormregion and its publisher 10tacle last April. But thanks to rescuing it, Codename: Panzers - Cold War is finally upon us. With its launch hitting around the same time as the much anticipated Dawn of War 2, Empire: Total War, and on the 360, the behemoth Wars; there is certainly plenty for the fan to get excited over. Amongst such strong competition, just how well does Codename: Panzers - Cold War stand up? Well to put it quite bluntly, it hides in the background as a perfectly adequate example of an RTS while still not being overly impressive. It is the perfect definition of a functional game, while still not quite having that spark that makes it any more deserving of your time than Dawn of War 2, for example.

Set four years after its predecessor, Panzers Phase Two, the game focuses on the Cold War (the clue being in the title of course), albeit an alternate version of the real Cold War. This one involves an outright war between the Soviet Union and the West, with Berlin becoming the centre piece of this conflict. For the most part you are in charge of NATO troops although near the end of the game a few of the missions are Soviet missions so as to wrap up the story nicely. One thing that has to be said now is that everything about this game is just what you would expect from an example of the genre, which is a bit of a double-edged sword in that it just doesn't really offer anything new. There is the ever convenient training mission, which I found a tad simplistic in places, as I'm sure many players would. It treats the player as if they had never played an RTS game before, which is somewhat handy but I wouldn't recommend this game as a first RTS anyway as I just found it too 'bland' in places. However, no doubt most players will trawl their way through the training just to be sure they know exactly what's going on. Once you get passed that slightly dull scenario, it's time to start up the campaign mode.

The campaign is spread across 18 missions which should keep even the speediest of RTS players occupied for a fair while. Most levels offer multiple ways of completing map objectives which is a nice touch. For example, in one level you can take the choice of storming an enemy stronghold head-on or capturing an armoured train and charging at the base with it. Being the destructive sort, I found this avenue particularly fun. There are also plenty of secondary objectives to contend with such as capturing additional enemy points, which although not essential, can make things simpler in the long run. It was refreshing to see a few different things to achieve rather than just the typical 'capture this stronghold' type objectives so frequently seen in RTS games, but I still found it lacking in a certain passion. It all felt a little bit too typical. I was briefly impressed by the presentation of the campaign with its many FMVs and entertaining voice-overs in-game, but then I realised that most games do that anyhow so it's not exactly a stand out feature.

One thing that Codename: Panzers - Cold War does do well is its array of interesting unit types. Along with the typical (but accurate) array of tanks and infantry troops, there is also an equipment system and an upgrade system. You can equip flamethrowers to tanks, provide camouflage to make it harder to be spotted by the enemy, and use radar dishes to improve how far you can see ahead of you. On the second level, this system came into its own when amphibious units were required to cross a river so as to lower a bridge allowing tanks and other heavy units can come across. It added a nice, simple puzzle element to the game which at least makes things slightly different. There is a marketplace in between each level and at key points in the game wherein you can purchase more unit types and equipment. Purchases are made through the prestige point system where points are earned by completing objectives, killing enemies or capturing key points on each level. Even airstrikes and nukes can be bought with these points. Infantry units can range from SMG gunners to medics via engineers. All these units can do a wide range of duties, not just fighting, such as setting up repair stations or constructing watchtowers.

I'm fairly sure the game sounds fairly respectable in this review, especially when you throw in the obligatory options and co-op mode, and it is fine really. However, it just lacks passion for me. It all feels very, very functional; much like a slice of white bread in fact. You may eat a slice of white bread and there is nothing wrong with it but you would never think it was the best food you had ever eaten; it'd just fill you up until something better came along. Codename: Panzers - Cold War is the white bread of the RTS world. It is perfectly adequate, it'll keep you occupied while there's nothing better to do, but you'd never choose it over the chocolate of the RTS world, Dawn of War 2, or the cake: Empire: Total War. So really, all you need to ask yourself if you're trying to decide whether to get this game is: are you a chocolate person or a white, sliced bread person?

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By Jennifer Allen