When reading it is important to note that this review was based on the Xbox version of the game (the PC version has some issues and patching requirements). Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 is based on a different squad than that portrayed in the TV series and book, however it still follows the battles of the 101st Airborne in the first 8 days of the Normandy campaign. True to its pedigree, the game has sought to be realistic as possible. This has included the use of aerial photographs for the creation of the battlefields and the authentic weapons and uniforms of the combatants. As a nodding touch a lot of the titles and menu layouts have been done in the style of the TV series as well.

The game starts with the player's character immediately in the thick of combat. You are woken from your slumber into the midst of a fire fight. All hell has broken lose and you immediately pick up your gun and start shooting. A couple of things strike you with this first taste of combat. It's hectic and confusing for a start, as orders are screamed out and squad members yell out how hard it is to shoot the enemy. The normal setting for the game is without crosshairs to aim with. You have to rely on the sight picture of the gun and it sways about (more than some players will be used to) and you miss often. It is said that during WWII that a man had to shoot another man's weight in bullets to kill him (based on ammunition consumption versus casualties) and this game feels true to the saying.

This short sequence of combat is just a taste of what is to come, and you are whisked back to when you first jumped into Normandy as a green trooper. The sequence from the time you hook up and you hit ground is very impressive graphics-wise, considering it has been produced on the Xbox. When you finally hit ground you are struck with the fact you have no weapon and you are alone. This is very much in the historical context of the battle with many of the American Airborne troops being scattered over a wide area and unsupported. On the day of the drop the airborne teams were issued a bag and a rope to attach it to themselves on the basis they could have it hang below them on the descent and recover it when they landed. For many, though, the jolt of the parachute opening meant the rope broke and the bag and contents were never seen again.

Movement is very standard using the controller toggles. However, you are limited to only two stances: standing and crouching. Where is the prone and crawling most FPS players are used too? This was a considerable disappointment to us given the efforts in game design elsewhere in the game. The graphics are good and in keeping with the period and location. Some of the buildings can be entered into and there is enough detail strewn about to give some look and feel of the combat zone. Although you have a jump feature this is limited and most of the fences and wall you will have to circumvent. Again this is disappointing and limits some of your tactical opportunities.

Once further into the game you start to pick up squad mates (and thankfully weapons). Its at this stage you are introduced to the tactical squad manoeuvring that sets this game apart from others in the genre. With a very simple interface you can set your squad up to move and provide covering fire while you attempt to outflank the opposition. This is done with a sighting circle that you can move and click where you want people to be, and then, using the same method, where you want them to shoot. A simple circle over the enemy shows if they are suppressed or not. It's simple and clean but opens some interesting challenges to players on how they complete each portion of the game.

The missions challenge you to set up and work with your squad like no other game before. Try to 'Rambo' the game and you will die, and die quickly. Suppression is the key, as is sustained fire on the enemy. This may not be to the liking of some FPS players but this challenge we found refreshing. There are roughly some 12 hours of gameplay in the missions with an overall story to follow. We did, however, find some of the mission maps too small, with only limited opportunities flank the enemy and leaving us with a feeling that we were being channelled into a certain way of completing the mission.

Where the game really shines is in multiplayer. You would forgive the designers if they merely delivered the typical multiplayer FPS game, however what they have done instead is to deliver the same squad tactical combat as the single player game. You can choose which squad you will command and choose from a list of missions that include document recovery, destroying installations or defensive-style missions. The maps are designed so that you have no idea where the opposition is and the first steps you take are trying to rush your squad to an advantageous position. If you get killed you can re-spawn as one of the squad mates and you also receive a batch of reinforcements during the game. This is a great concept and is a blast to play, particularly as it is Xbox Live capable.

The audio of the game fits in well, and the guttural German voices work well. The speech audio, though, quickly becomes repetitive as there are few differing audio tracks.