The storyline isn't anything of interest, but let's just say that the Cold War seems to be brewing once again. A renegade Russian general has decided to take his massive army and storm the Malden Islands, a vital strategic point that coincidentally hosts a ton of crude oil. In another twist of events, NATO has a camp set up on those very islands, with the majority of the troops being American. See where this is headed? Thought so.

Unlike most games of this nature such as Rainbow Six, you aren't exactly the top dog on your team. In fact, you're probably the lowest life form on the battleground. When you start off in Campaign mode, you're but a lowly infantry soldier, expected to do as your commanding officer pleases. This can be anything from doing night patrol around your camp to providing cover for your retreating squad. All in all, it's good to be a grunt! Being that this is a simulation of the real thing, Operation: Flashpoint isn't exactly forgiving when it comes to combat. A single bullet can usually bring you down, and if it doesn't, two or three definitely will. Even the splash damage from an exploding shell can kill you off pretty quickly. What's even worse is that in the heat of battle, you can often times pick off some of your own comrades... and they can do the same to you.

What really impressed me about this game is the fact that everything really does seem like a simulation. Although I'm not much of a weapons or combat expert, Operation: Flashpoint does a really great job of making me believe that I am entrenched in a heated battle with those damn Ruskies. There are a ton of authentic weapons at your disposal, everything from a standard M-16 to the good ol' sniper rifle to the always cool AK47 are present in the game, and they seem (keyword: seem) to accurately compare to their real life incarnations. In some of the later missions in your tour de force, you're also able to get your hands on some vehicles to cruise around in, and this is definitely a blast. While I may not know weapons, I definitely know how a truck should handle, and Operation: Flashpoint gets everything down pat here. Additionally, you also get to ride a few other weapons of war, such as an attack helicoptor and a military tank, which are just as fun to control as they are to wreck havoc on your enemies.

During the campaign you also get the opportunity to command some troops of your own, provided you make it that far. The interface for giving orders to your troops is rather clumbersome and at times frustrating to use. You have to go through several menus just to get one of your troops to do a specific command, and that's not even mentioning the fact that you have several other troops to worry about, not to mention your own hide. Aside from this, I have to admit that the interface does get the job done, and the best part is that the AI for your lackeys are fairly competent in carrying out what you wish.

Graphically Operation: Flashpoint is a really mixed bag, and this is probably due more to its theme than anything else. While you have games such as Quake III and Rainbow Six that have imaginative, 'cool'-looking settings and weapons, Operation: Flashpoint is natural, authentic, and because of this, can look downright boring compared to the abovementioned games. By comparison, the sound also captures this type of mood. There is no fast and furious hard rock soundtrack in this game, nor is there any superspy sound effects either. This is war at its purest, and both the graphics and sound reflects that. It's just that sometimes what's deemed as real can be very plain.

At times, Operation: Flashpoint can seem like a drag. The game is full of tension, and the difficulty of many of the missions will have you on your hands and knees begging for mercy. But despite this, the game is a solid example of how to take a scenario that's full of frustration and anger and make it extremely fun. Codemasters did a great job of making Operation: Flashpoint somewhere between fun and realistic, and merging them into a game that will have gamers playing this for weeks.

· · · Reno