The time is 1943, and World War II is raging …

“ … Madness engulfed the planet … I was there … People are afraid of war, but they’ll never know the true terror that lies behind it.

“Now I have a new mission, a mission at the eye of the Silent Storm.”

What begins with the terrific promise of a game that delves deeply into other aspects of the gaming representation of warfare soon sidesteps into average gameplay and somewhat predictable scenarios. But that is not to say that Silent Storm, a PC release from Encore, does not have some nice features.

Indeed, this game boasts controls that allow your onscreen avatar to precisely attack the enemy in different areas. You can aim for the head, body, either arm or leg. The game sports elements of turn-based strategy with role-playing.

This game is slated to ship to retailers on January 20, and the only difference between the copy GameZone.com received and the retail versions will be in the difficulty ratings. The game will come with the standard easy/normal/hard array.

Silent Storm is the product of Encore, JoWooD and Nival Interactive. The game has two main ways of playing – the campaign or a custom game. In the campaign, you will be challenged to move through several progressive scenarios, with the challenge increasing as you go. For those unfamiliar with the style of turn-based games, there is a tutorial to work you through the intricacies of the game interface.

The campaign itself begins with players deciding which side in the war to play as, the Allies or the Axis. From there you pick an avatar from six available. For the Allies, the six you can choose from are a U.S. male grenadier (heavy weapons), U.S. female sniper, Russian male soldier, Russian female scout, British male engineer or British female medic. The Axis selections mirror the Allied choices: Italian male grenadier, Italian female sniper, German male soldier, German female medic, Japanese male engineer or Japanese female scout. You can also customize the faces of the avatar you select.

Once you have selected your avatar, step into the world of Silent Storm.

The mission has been a semi-success. The American sniper and her commanding officer are the only two left from their squad from the mission to secure important documents behind enemy lines, with the Germans trying to find them. The commanding officer is wounded and passes out after telling his subordinate to leave him and make it to the rendezvous point. However, once unconscious, the mantle of command falls to her and she is determined to see that both of them survive the mission.

While voice acted, the dialogue also is displayed, along with vocalized and displayed interjections of  “Aaah!” and “Ugggh!”  Ok, the script is a little forced, and despite the heroics, disobeying a commanding officer and jeopardizing a sensitive mission may be good gaming, but it is also a punishable offense in military circles.

The game has turn-based elements, and plays out a lot like your standard strategy game. You can group units, send them on different courses, and during your turn, and much of the gameplay evolves around thinking through you moves, being somewhat stealthy at times, and working through an AI that makes some rather silly moves at times, but is – for the most part – relentless and tough.

If you enter a building, each floor can be cutaway to allow you to see what lays on it. You can move somewhat silently, and the player interface allows you to quickly access a variety of movement options. Graphically, this game really does a great job with the environments and special effects.

But there is also a very familiar feeling about this game; with its somewhat predictable scenarios.

However, the game does have breakout moments. You do have to select your team for each mission, and while each mission is non-linear in terms of accomplishing the tasks, there are some restrictive elements. You only have what you carry, and you can replenish certain elements (like ammunition) along the way by picking up enemy drops.

Silent Storm would be a great title for someone who has never entered this genre before, and it will provide a solid challenge to the veteran war gamer. Just don’t look for a game that is immersed in historical accuracy, or one that offers an array of features and story lines that are unique.

Gameplay: 7.5

This game boasts elements of role-playing (in that you create and work a character through the game) and turn-based strategy. This means that the action is not fluid, but plays out more like a very visual game of chess.

Graphics: 8.3

The special effects are very well done and the environments are very good as well. The animations are solid.

Sound: 7.4

Uggh! The vocal animations reflect a script that seems forced at times. Other sound elements are well done; though, and generally do a good job of supporting the graphics.

Difficulty: Medium

Three difficulty levels will challenge just about any player level.

Concept: 8.1

The game does a nice job of combining turn-based, squad-tactical strategy with minor RPG elements. The interface is not difficult to learn or to use.

Overall: 8

The game is somewhat predictable in places and the action is taut, in spite of the turn-based aspects. This title is well done, and though it could have been better with a few tweaks here and there, for those who want a strategic game that is mostly non-linear in terms of accomplishing goals and requires you to think through movement phases, then Silent Storm may be what you are looking for.