.co.uk Review

This strategy game pits the militaristic forces of the Global Defence Initiative against the Brotherhood of Nod, an equally well-armed religious order. Players may play either side as the factions fight to control an ecologically ravaged Earth. The key to winning is tiberium, a plant that serves as raw material for weapons and factories. Controlling this powerful fuel source allows you to generate funds, raise armies and fend off destruction.

Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun is a simple combat simulator that allows the player to gather resources, turn them into soldiers and unleash them against the foe. The game runs in real time, so events can turn against you quickly, but if one is cautious and observant, the battles are not too hard to win.

Though their missions are different, the two sides are essentially interchangeable, with identical military discipline and similar battle units. Though the Brotherhood of Nod has fascist trappings and is obviously the villain, there is no significant difference in playing one side or the other. The game also lacks female battle units, though it features a few women in interstitial sequences.

Despite these weaknesses, Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun is thoroughly entertaining and will satisfy anyone who enjoys building an army from the ground up and testing it on the battlefield. --Alyx Dellamonica

Manufacturer's Description

Tiberian Sun is the stunning sequel to Command & Conquer. Fight on dynamic 3-D battlefields where nature itself provides tactical opportunities: ion storms, destructible terrain, forest fires, treacherous ice fields and many more surprises that can help or hinder your strategies. Choose from two very different ways to play: command the Global Defence Initiative, or join the secretive Brotherhood of Nod. Then prepare your troops for combat in tiberium-infested temperate zones, arctic tundras and full cityscapes. Invent new strategies and tactics. Employ a deadly mix of advanced technologies, high-energy weapons, guerrilla warfare and high-tech sabotage. A kinetic and living battlefield created with new technology delivers things like flying shrapnel, shock waves and crashing debris for an in-game experience like never before.