From: "Christensen, Blake" Subject: An alternate view on Panzer Elite If someone hasn't sent a better review of Panzer Elite, would you consider posting this one? Thanks. There has already been a review posted on Web-Grognards, however as I feel that Panzer Elite is an important game I feel a differing viewpoint is worthwhile. Typically wargames are fuzzy on the role that the player performs. He or she is the overall commander, but must also act as all the subordinate commanders too. Panzer Elite is a tank simulation that puts the player in the position of a tank platoon commander. When I play panzer elite I know that I am the guy in this tank. I can see what the platoon leader can see and I have the amount of influence that the platoon leaders has. When the platoon leader is killed, the scenario ends. Panzer Elite does a good job creating the virtual world of an armor platoon leader. The areas that Panzer Elite shines that make this immersion into the platoon leader's life possible are a great terrain model, great tank models, and good Ai for enemy and allied vehicles, infantry and crew members. Panzer Elite has a terrain model that has all the hills and bumps needed for hiding and finding turret down and hull down positions. It also has individual trees and bushes that hinder visibility and the buildings to harbor lurking infantry. The tank models are also good. Modeled are the dynamics of shell flight and the differing optical systems used for aiming. Panzer Elite models the armor for each surface and has a detailed damage model for the hits that penetrate the tank. Damage ranges from catastrophic ammunition explosions to a damaged radio. The scenarios are scripted which gives a story line to missions. There is great variety in missions. There is the sense of being part of something bigger. If I see some fighting off in the distance I can decide for myself if I want to get involved or not. The terrain map is large enough to allow for flexibility in approaches to solving each missions. Most of the area didn't even figure into the scenarios I played. There is a steep learning curve, but it is mostly for developing situational awareness and good tactics. A multitude of Realism settings can be used to ease the learning curve and allow for differing preferred styles of play. The settings allow for such things as playing the game with or without external views, differing shell trajectories (straight line or realistic ballistics), and differing spotting and AI options. I had a few lock up problems when I first installed the game, but those went away when I freed up the recommended amount of disk space. In summary, this is the computer game I've been wanting to write for years. It sets a high standard for realism. The support is great, check the website www.panzer-elite.de and see for yourself. If you are interested in armored warfare, try it out. I give it an 'A'. Blake