Frontlines is a science fiction wargame of armoured combat, which was first released in 1994 and is now out on budget price. A variety of mechanised units, supported by infantry, Tech infantry, and engineers, are available to fight over a large number of predetermined terrain maps. Each unit has different combat strengths, weapon ranges, morale values etc. The excellent graphics make this game look like a highly detailed 6mm setup (on terrain boards) viewed from above.

The sequence of play is alternate player/computer moves, then simultaneous combat, with the option of opportunity fire out of the turn sequence when a target presents itself and is obviously going to move out ot line of sight. In effect, this produces a large skirmish feel, rather than the full battle feel of games suchas the not disimilaf Fields of Glory (my admitted current yardstick for excellence for this kind of game).

Boardgame Heritage

When another option - the visible grid - is toggled on it becomes clear, however, that we are very much in board game territory, with wcapon ranges and movement rates measured in hexes. The variety of units is screen reminiscent of the board games OGRE and GEV. Details of each unit can be brought up on the screen to give current ratings for armour quality, morale etc. As hits occur and damaged units slart to smoke, when knocked out it is usually quite visibly so. Reduced morale ratings affect the unit's accuracy, but doesn't force them to flee, which is a shame. The map options allow some of this information to he continually viewed during play.

As said above, the game is basically based on the good old hex board, and therefore suffers from the same problem as all board games - over detailed calculation of odds. Admittedly the computer is the most at fault here, as enemy units often hang around one hex out of range, until sufficient force has been gathered to assure destruction of a unit or two.

Fortunately, this problem can be offset by using the limited visibility option - if none of your units has line of sight to an enemy unit, you don't get to see it. This can be very useful when using large amounts of (hidden) artillery, in conjunction with spotter vehicles which allow the use of indirect fire onto units visible to them.

There are a large number of scenarios, graded from simple to hard. The harder the scenario, basically, the bigger the map and the larger the number of units. It is possible to take either the standard unit mix and setup for any scenario or to vary either or both, giving an even larger potential play value from the game.

A database, with nice 3-D drawings of the units, and a description of their capabilities, rounds out the game, and helps to give some "period feel".

Problems: Bugs and Speed

There are, unfortunately, two problems with the game. Firstly, it runs slow, and really I'd have thought needs a 486DX2 or DX4 to play at a decent speed. It really is possible to go and make a cup of tea whilst the computer thinks about it's move in the larger scenarios with a slower machine. The box side recomendation is for 386 SX, 4 meg of RAM. I think on a 386 it would probably be possible to produce a gourmet meal whilst you wait ! A sound card would be a great benefit, as the PC bleep makes an awful noise of the music, but this can be switched off.

The other problem is more serious - BUGS. This game has a lot, and has a very annoying habit of crashing after an hour or more of play. Play testing can't have been too thorough, as fairly simple sneaky things that I have tried, expecting to get an error message at worst, such as using a shuttle (a fast, lightly armoured transporter) as a "bridge" over a river (by loading and then disloading units from the shuttle whilst it is sitting mid-stream) have also caused the game to hang.

In all, Frontlines is a fine looking game. Graphics are much improved over earlier hex based wargames, and the many map options and information menus are simple to use, allowing play to be begun quickly after loading the game for the first time - there is even a rules teaching scenario. The variety of scenarios and terrain give some interesting challenges (such as fighting in muntains, and amphibious assaualts), especially when the limited visibility option is used It is, however, a flawed game, because of its tendency to crash out or hang. At 13 pounds, though, it is well worth trying, just remember to save the game every couple of turns, so that if it does crash, you haven't lost too much of the play. Not quite as good as FOG, but then what (on high density discs) is?

More Computer Game Reviews

Edit Note, War College, and Rise and Rule of Ancient Empires
Complete Carriers at War
Frontlines
Command and Conquer: Covert Operations
Battleground Gettysburg

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