Rival developers must be green with envy over Pivotal's jammy timing. The cogs were spinning on the Gulf War-set sequel long before 'monkey' Bush sent his troops scurrying into Middle-Eastern territories for a second bout of Saddam-bashing.
But regardless of its topicality, Conflict Desert Storm II remains a damn fine squad shooter, which is the important bit.
Wanna Be In My Gang? You control four fully trained Allied assassins, each of whom is specialised in a particular area of modern-day warfare. Commanding them is the same as before, with the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' adage ringing true. You can switch between team members at will, instructing fellow combatants to stand their ground, advance as a unit or surge into all-out attack.
The various commands demand careful thought, and manoeuvring your boys across hostile ground feels commendably authentic. It's not as sim-like as the Rainbow Six games, but it is deeper than EA's Freedom Fighters. There's also a cooperative two-player mode that lets you and your mate fight it out side by side.
Although the general mission-based gameplay differs little from its predecessor, there are still a few noticeable improvements in operation. Enemy AI is more sophisticated - soldiers don't possess a superhuman sixth sense, but their reactions are sharper and more alert. You can use stealth to creep up on them too, with bonuses awarded for eliminating foes without being spotted.
The rag-doll physics craze also rumbles on. If the jerky death sequences of Double Helix didn't satisfy, then the sickly comical sight of flying corpses in this one should. Chuck a grenade and watch with sadistic glee as the skies rain ragged bodies like confetti at a wedding.
Short-Sighted Unfortunately, the game isn't entirely without its faults. Like Pivotal's The Great Escape, CDSII's auto-targeting lock in this is strangely more trouble than it's worth, and it's far more effective to switch to the first-person perspective during combat. The game is also relatively short, although the various difficulty levels mean that it poses a tough challenge.
Conflict Desert Storm II plays very similarly to the original. It's still the same intelligent, heart-pounding fun - with a touch more spit 'n' polish. Think of it as a diagonal step upwards rather than a giant leap forward and you won't be disappointed.
Still an excellent squad-based shooter but with few improvements. If you loved the original or never got round to trying it, then you could do far worse than marching into this.
Alternating control between each of your troops enables you to take advantage of each of their special attributes, such as sniping or heavy explosives. You can also issue commands, advancing your troops one at a time and placing them at strategic points ahead. And with more vehicles to drive, you can assign a variety of mounted guns too. What more could you ask for?
The team advances as one, only to run into a deadly Iraqi ambush
Driving armed vehicles assigns a different role to each of your troops
// New Recruits
Pivotal has produced a more complete and absorbing game by adding a wealth of new features. As well as an improved frame-rate for graphical spods, there are new weapons and equipment to enjoy, such as white phosphorous grenades and flares. Your fighters can also roll around, peek out from behind obstacles and delay the throwing of a grenade so that it explodes exactly when you want it to.
Peeking out from behind walls enables you to apply a bit more stealth
The coloured bar lets you know how long before your grenade explodes. Got a lot of precision in it, this game
Rolling around the floor makes you a tricky target for the enemy
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