Starting off in Boot Camp is one of the best things to do in this game. If 'run in and shoot them up?is foreign territory to you, it's probably a good idea to go through the weapons training and give yourself an added edge. Since the game controls are such a challenge, it's better off to be as prepared as you can for toy on toy warfare. The general outline of the game is fairly straight forward - you get to play Sarge, you have a mission or objective to complete each level you pass and at the end you get to meet your Nemesis - Colonel Malice. Movement in this game is not an easy thing to master. Strafing all over the place won't win this game alone so forget whatever you learned in Quake. Proceed with extreme caution. There are no BFG's in this soldier's backpack! Sarge is about to take control of the battlefield and bring new meaning to 'invasion of the little green men.

The game controls in Army Men: Sarge's War are some what clumsily put together, resulting in very little control over movement. And control over what your character does in a game is everything. Of course, you could spend hours at a time learning how to avoid gunfire by running around the enemy instead of directly through them but what fun would that be? It really is much more challenging to see how many holes you can put into a tan soldier's head before it completely drops off. Death by bazooka has an eerie lasting effect on a toy soldier and it looks kind of neat to boot.

As for the intricacies of the game itself, it's not exactly state of the art. The graphics seem almost dated (load up Doom 3 and you'll notice the difference) and the fact that the controls within the game can't be changed can prove to be a tad irritating. After all, your primary objective is to get rid of the tan menace as quickly as possible and take out Colonel Malice. No time to take in all the beauty of the sandpit for this soldier! Having said that, some of the levels themselves are quite engaging. Running through a sandpit seems much more interesting than running through yet another street in yet another dark, dreary city looking for a target to shoot.

There is, however, one nifty little control that you can rely on to get you that body count - auto target. Right click on your target - and do this as often as you can. Auto target will have you dropping the enemy in no time. It takes some getting used to, but if you really want to get to Colonel Malice, spend at least some of your time learning how to shoot and aim. Strafing can also be a little jerky. Basically, its do or die here - run in and kill everything! Don't rely on fancy foot work to get you through. Familiarising yourself with all of the different weapons is key to getting through the levels. Pick up as many med packs, weapons and ammo as you can.

Now to the weapons. The arsenal at Sarge's disposal is another highlight well worth mentioning. If you make a point of going through boot camp, you will learn how to use most of these weapons. The sniper rifle can be fun to use but only if you're willing to switch from first person to third and vice versa. Throwing grenades is a must; there isn't much you can miss when you're throwing one of these beauties! If in doubt ?throw the grenade, you're bound to hit something worth killing. And remember, if it's not melted, it's not dead! In Sarge's world, running around with holes in your body doesn't count you out either ?you can even shoot a man down with only one leg! Give it a go, you won't be disappointed.