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Following
such titles as Carriers at War, Battlefront
and the magnificent Europe Ablaze, Halls of
Montezuma brings us nearer the present day with
an incredibly extensive battle history of the United
States Marines Corps.
Based around the Battlefront/Battles in Normandy
game system, Halls deals in units of roughly battalion
size with three divisions available. Like Storm Across
Europe, this size naturally dictates the scale of
the battle but also allows for a mid-level of command
with both high level strategy and low-level tactical
operations needing to be taken into account throughout.
Halls
contains eight scenarios, tracing the Marine Corps'
battle-scarred history -- this includes the 1847 assault
on Mexico City, Belleau Wood in 1918, Iwo Jima in 1945,
right through to the battle for the city of Hue in South
Vietnam.
With
SSG games, at least the presentation is there to start
with, and the menu system is easy enough to use. Play
is smooth-flowing and a lot faster than in Typhoon.
The ground features may lack detail but it's all very
clear, precisely laid out with fluid scrolling. The
map is most welcome (take note SSI!).
Strategic
play is stronger in the earlier scenarios -- after the
Second World War, technology moved ahead dramatically.
The time of the Korean War proves the best era, with
the weapons of post-war and beyond (including the first
widespread use of jet fighters).
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