Background–It is the late 1940s, and the Axis forces control all of Western Europe. The German army is
gathering strength for an imminent invasion of Great Britain. A British officer, Lieutenant Colonel Dudley Clark,
has created a special unit with a handful of exceptional men who are skilled at handling any type of weapon and
excel in all forms of combat. These Commandos work in small units, carrying out stealthy raids.
Commandos--You are in charge of a unit of six Commandos. You
must go behind enemy lines and destroy their forces. And, you can't
lose any of your men. They are indispensable, as each Commando has
unique combat abilities that others cannot match. You need to eliminate
every enemy who stands in your way without a
ny
of the other enemies noticing. And they see footprints, dead bodies,
and hear everything unless you are silent. You have to coordinate
your troops. For instance, the marine is an adept killer, but he needs
the Green Beret's brawn to dispose of bodies. The Commandos have the
same skills as in the previous game, plus some new abilities. In addition
to these specific skills, all the Commandos now have some similar
abilities: can use a cigarette pack to lure enemies into deadly traps;
and throw a stone to distract or annoy an enemy. The men are:
- Green Beret "Tiny" (there were no Green Berets in WWII, though)–the
brute force of the operation. (New Skills: can knock enemies unconscious and handcuff them.)
- Marine "Fins"–the
Australian alcoholic and silent killer who can control
water
vehicles and sneak under water.
- Driver "Tread"–the man who controls land vehicles. (New Skills:
can use a long range rifle with unlimited ammo; and can hit an enemy soldier with a blackjack.)
- Spy "Spooky"–a French nationalist that can imposter Germans.
He can also distract and poison the enemy. (New Skills: can handcuff enemies; can steal an enemy uniform; and render
an enemy unconscious with chloroform.)
- Sniper "Duke"–English Royalty and a long range lone gunman.
- Sapper "Inferno"–the fiery destruction person who places and
detonates explosives.
Missions--You must take your troops successfully through a
series of missions that are inspired by the various fronts where the
allied commandos participated during the Second World War. Each of
the eight missions is unique, and they have different 
objectives, landscapes, problems, and various possible
approaches depending on your tactical skill and your skill in handling
weapons. All missions have multiple objectives, with one main objective
such as blowing up an enemy installation; rescuing a prisoner; or
taking out an enemy general. If you do not succeed in this one main
objective, you will not have successfully completed the mission and
will not be allowed to continue to the next assignment. The eight
missions take place in Eastern Europe and Greece at the following
locations:
- Island--destroy radar antenna and A/A gun;
- Gardens--kidnap a German general;
- Train Station--destroy a Big Gun and two armored coaches;
- Airport--destroy prototypes and steal an airplane;
- Zoo--meet up with a deserter;
- P.O.W. Camp--flee from the camp;
- Dutch Canals--assassinate a high-ranking officer;
- Greek Ruins--recover a German prototype bomb.
At the start of each mission, you will be given a briefing. These brief instructions outline the context of
the mission and your team's objectives. You will receive such information as:
- The strategic circumstances in which the mission takes place.
- The main objective of the mission.
- A brief mission run through of the scenario of the mission, in which you will be given the position of the
objectives, the location of the points of interest or danger, and brief tactical advice.
To be able to commence a mission, it is absolutely necessary that
you have successfully completed the main objective of the previous
mission. Each time you finish a mission successfully, the game will
assign points depending on the degree of completion, and will give
you access to the following mission. The points will depend mainly
on the amount of time you have needed to complete the mission and
the 
wounds you have
suffered. The number of enemy casualties that you cause is totally
irrelevant to the number of points you receive, although you will
be informed of this figure at the end of the mission. As you complete
missions, the points received will keep adding up. Depending on the
accumulated points, you may be promoted. You begin the game with the
rank of Sergeant and can reach the rank of Field Marshal which means
that your acts have been absolutely brilliant.
Manual and cards–There is a manual that contains quite a bit of information. There is a plastic card
with Camera View, Camera Selection, Action Keys, and Combat Hot Keys.
Tutorials–There are two kinds of tutorials:
- Seven Theory Sessions: These are short video lessons in which you get an
explanation of the game controls. There is one Theory Session that shows the general concepts of the game and and
six other shorter sessions that show you the capabilities of each of your Commandos.
- One Training Mission: This is a small mission that works as in the real
game, except that it takes place in a training camp. Furthermore, your soldier can suffer unlimited damage. With
this training mission, you can become familiar with the specific actions of each of your soldiers.
Features & Interface–The interface is intelligent and
doesn't get in the way of the game, and is virtually the same as the
original game, except for the hot key layout which has been redesigned.
Graphics–The graphics are even sharper and more detailed than in the previous game. Enemy soldiers now
stand out better from the background. You have waves crashing into the shore and birds flying overhead. The buildings,
structures, vehicles and characters are intricately detailed and well animated.
Sound–The sound effects are authentic. Each of the Commandos has a unique voice and accent representative
of his place of origin. Environmental sounds aid to the realistic atmosphere. New to this expansion is a full orchestrative
score that is professionally done.
Personal Comments–This is a wonderful game if you like great style; authentic settings; realistic graphics;
and difficulty. The setting and detail in the Commando games make them original. They require precision
timing and moving of your men. The original game Commands: Behind Enemy Lines was difficult but this one
is even more challenging. If you like to think as you play, check this one out!
Wish List–Players being able to choose the Commandos for individual missions;
a multiple command feature.
Commandos:
