It was with much interest then that we fired up this new game from Cenega Publishing, particularly as its gameplay promised to be in the same vein as the highly successful Commando series. The game opens promisingly too, with some absolutely stunning 3D graphics and weather effects. As we looked over the area we marvelled at how well the game engine handled perspective, particularly when moving from high towers and structures to lower terrain areas. The detail of both natural and man-made scenery is excellent and is the work of a dedicated graphics team. The rest of the game, however, is very much like the early part of the war for the UN: a disaster.

Despite our best efforts trying to tweak the control settings, getting anywhere on the map is an exercise in frustration. A slightest movement of the mouse sends you shooting across the map in a manner that quickly has you completely lost. It is only with practice that you can master the viewing controls - which would not be so bad were the effort so unrewarding, graphics aside.

As you progress in the game you build up your combat team to 5 members. There is the usual combat jock, sniper, demolition man, medic and a Korean, who can pass himself off as one of the enemy. There is nothing really new here aside from the historical inaccuracy of the Americans fielding a female medic on combat missions.

The action icons are very small and it is often hit-and-miss whether you have managed to select the right one. Given the similarities between instructions to scroll the map (middle mouse button and drag) and to move (left click), it is very easy to send your team off to its doom after a fatal player error. Changing stance and accessing the inventory are just as fickle and it makes the control of your team a real chore, undermining the premise of the game: to make the right decisions at the right time with little margin for error.

The missions themselves are inventive and often have multiple objectives, spoilt as they are by the fact that right from the word go you can see all the map and all the enemies you have to avoid or take out. There is no fog-of-war, and therefore there is little in the way of surprises in the missions and the game largely becomes a puzzle, albeit a pretty one.

Audio is acceptable, with some good environmental and action sound effects. The main complaint here is repetition and lack of variety.

This is a game that should have worked far better than the final product allows. With some stunning graphics, a winning gameplay formula, and an interesting historical period to work from, everything pointed to this game being a winner prior to its release. The appalling controls, and bugs, have ruined this potential, and we can only recommend Forgotten Conflict to Commando fans who want to try something different. Otherwise the game, as the title goes, is best forgotten.