The game is easy to install, and is basically idiot-proof. If you know enough about computers to find my page, you could put it on your hard drive. After the installation, you get an introduction by everyone's favorite police chief, Darryl Gates. Instantly, I assume that all the perps will be black and you'll be able to either shoot them repeatedly or beat them into submission with night sticks...but I digress. After a warm, cheery "go get 'em" from the chief, you get thrust into what looks to be a very promising game. Had it been coded properly, it could be.
Equip your department (or just use the preassigned units) and head out on the first mission to rescue a hostage. A bit dull, but a strategic setup is essential to a good game. Choose the right equipment; you won't need it. Training scenarios take place with officers playing the perps and terrorists, so live fire reduces your score and the bad guys obey you when you tell them to stay still. So much for realism.
The AI (artificial intelligence, for the technologically challenged) sucks. Admittedly, Warcraft can get boring after a while, but the game is at least smart enough to do some things for you. If enemies come near your troops, your armies attack without you telling them to; in this game, I have been furiously clicking away to get the officers to talk to the perps or shoot at them as the terrorists calmly walk past a small army of SWAT cops. The cops don't say anything, don't move, don't shoot, don't try to arrest...they just sit there, waiting for you to tell them to turn or shoot or speak. Like real police. So I guess the realism is back on?....
Anyway, the point is that this is a game for people who didn't get to micromanage enough with Lords of the Realm, Sim____, or Warcraft. If you don't tell these cops to blink, they'll stand there with their eyes open until their retinas fall out. I don't mind slaves obeying my every whim, but I'd rather it stay in those harem dreams of Elle MacPherson, Angie Everhart, and Cindy Crawford than these little bastards.
On the other hand, this game allows you to play from the other side of the fence; terrorism good, police bad. And when the computer operates the cops, they actually perform pretty well. Your guys are morons (did everyone see Airheads?)... The only good thing I can see from this is that if you are planning on blowing up a building or just going postal, you can find a building similar to one you want to destroy in one of the scenarios and watch the fun. The computer-run SWAT team operates on actual police procedures and strategies, so you can get a good idea of how best to pull off your caper with as little police interference as possible. This alone should make the game worth Chris Thompson's time...
To sum up: if you buy this game, do it at Software, Etc. The company hasn't gotten wise to CD-R's yet and still has a seven day return policy. If nothing else, you can take it back and trade it in, like I did, for something worth the time.
Bottom line: 2 of 5 stars.
Hey, if you think I was tough on this game, check out reviews of previous games.