The game itself is very simple to play despite its complex delivery. Played over a 3D environment which you can zoom and pan at will, the game is played in turns, with the action being played out after each player plans and directs his units. It's not real time, but in many ways the game is all the more accurate as a result. There are built-in delays in giving orders, and fog-of-war based on environmental parameters -night time, snow, dust, etc. - with the addition of audio spotting as well. Included with this is a morale system of a level that no other game has yet come close to. Here you have a wargame that really makes those lead soldiers and endless rule books obsolete.

The latest game in the series is based on the WWII campaigns of the Mediterranean theatre. Battles include Crete, North Africa, Sicily and Italy; all campaigns that are ingrained in our nation's military history, where we lost so many of a generation of New Zealanders. It is with some delight, then, that we learned of the inclusion of the units of the 2^nd New Zealand Division and the 28^th Maori Battalion in the game and scenarios based around some of the battles those troops fought.

There is, however, some disappointment over the omission of specific unit skins for the 28^th Maori Battalion and Indian units (who were often fighting at their side). Also absent are the Anti-Tank regiment and machine gun battalion of the NZ Division (these can, however, be substituted with similar British units, at least until the mod community produces an alternative).

So what else is new in this game? The new campaign areas have already been mentioned. This includes a new desert tile set; Battles in North Africa were often fought over the smallest of terrain features and this is captured well in the scenery and scenarios on offer. It takes a practised eye to pick routes of attack across what at first glance appears nothing more than a flat expanse of desert: the big maps present wargamers with a real challenge where fire and movement becomes the order of the day.

To make the most of these new challenges, game controls have been enhanced with some new movement features, such as 'shoot and scoot? You can now order an armoured unit to move up to a firing position, seek a target, loose a shot and then scurry back to cover all through a single command. Coupled with this is a new dust environmental effect. The great clouds kicked up as units move across the desert give away movement, but also obscure what is moving. You can now scuttle forward and let fly a round or two and then retreat into your own dust cloud for cover. These two inclusions alone make for some very interesting challenges and also give some real insight to the rigors of combat.

There also seems to be some tweaking in the damage rules where although you can tell immediately if you have hit and pierced the armor of an opposing tank there is now a higher degree of realism where it is not immediately evident whether the tank has been taken out. This often results in overkill. As with previous games, a hit does not necessarily mean a kill, with armour type, ammunition type, metal, hit area and a myriad of other factors being taken into account. The net result is a game that is extremely realistic and accurate.

Unlike its gameplay Afrika Corps' graphics are not leading edge. You aren't going to see the gloss and glitter of today's recent 3D releases here. However, they are functional - and considering that each type of vehicle and unit is faithfully reproduced in 3D, with its various camouflage and unit badges, within the limitations of the game engine the result is very good (it is a pleasure to see the effort made to have NZ divisional badges on the infrantry). There are already mods being posted for enhanced unit graphics, but this is likely to be Battlefront's own last outing for the current version of the game engine with the team now devoting time to Combat Mission 2.

As with previous games in the series, there is a multiplayer option and a play by email option for the bandwidth-challenged. Afrika Corps ships with a Quick Battle option where you adjust many of the scenario parameters and also a very comprehensive scenario editor.

The game also comes with a good tutorial with an easy walkthrough using the manual. While previous games came with a comprehensive manual around tactics and strategies, reliance is now on the tutorial to cover these areas.

The audio is functional with an attempt to have units speak with some of the slang and accent of their respective origins. The Kiwi and Aussie units do, however, have a bit of an American flavour to their speech (again, the mod boys are likely to post new audio files).

With heaps of new units and scenarios on offer, Afrika Corps is a great wargame. The minor omissions and aged-looking graphics are but minor issues when taken in the context of the passion for accuracy and historical realism put into this game. The inclusion of Kiwi units is the icing on the cake for what for us is a feast of wargaming fun. Buy it if you have the smallest interest in wargaming.