BattleFieldMT

Somebody is gonna be happy about this one... This is one cool (and very deep) game indeed. The basic premise is Tanks, but throw in a heady mix of spells, psi abilities, RPG-esque elements, shops, tournaments, power-ups and training manuals, and you'll get a little closer to what is really involved.

You are taking part in a tournament, a set of fights in the MT Stadium between you and the other MTs (MT we assume means MechTank). You start the game with a low powered MT called a Dodge Fighter, but through winning battles you can raise the cash to take it into the various shops and seriously enhance the beast, or indeed replace it with something far more sinister.

The Vehicle Shop sells the MTs, from the Dodge right up to our personal favourite, the Necro-MT, complete with Necro Sheilds and a Necro Launcher (that's a ruddy big missle to you and me!).

Other shops include the Parts Store where you can fit new launchers and shields, the Psi Shop where you acquire basic elemental spells such as the Book of Rays or the Necro Flare.

The Mech Shop kits your MT out with mines (Powermines, BeastMines, NecroMines, etc) and also sells manuals that teach you the art of Pulse Magnets, Utilising the ground and other nifty tricks.

But this is all well and good - what's the actual GAME like? Well, it's really very good indeed! Each round is split into phases, so you can choose to start by moving your tank or not (and we'd recommend it) with the WASD keys.

Then you can peform an action such as Launch (i.e. fire at your opponent), Mine, use an Ability, Regenerate or Skip the Turn (Wait). The graphics are great, the terrain deforms well, the MTs are all metallic and shiny, the effects and psi abilities, while mostly being well-textured expanding spheres, do actually add a lot to the game.

We like the way the enemy AI is actually really good, he's a dead-shot though, so you've got to be careful, but he does take time to heal himself, cast spells at you and generally cause havoc. Give this game some time, it's worth it.