Another WWII themed game? Yes, this era is certainly well represented in the PC game market, but Codename: Panzers certainly deserves a closer look. Panzer's take on the RTS genre is refreshing and easy to get into. Instead of base building, amassing armies and researching tech trees like in countless other RTS games, CP gives you limited number of units to complete each mission and you do not have to construct a single building or unit. It's all about tactics in CP and if you want to keep your units alive and complete your mission you will have to come up with some clever tactics and create a taskforce that combines the different arms to maximum effect.

Tanks play a major role of course; otherwise they wouldn't have stuck the German word for them in the game title. The Germans in WWII pioneered modern warfare based on combining the separate arms; armored vehicles, infantry, artillery and air support into self supporting taskforces in which the tanks played the major role of attack force. This brought them huge success early on in the war which is often referred to as 'Blitzkrieg'. CP tries to capture the essence of combined arms warfare and mainly succeeds, although some aspects of it fall short. You can build your taskforce at the start of each mission. You are allocated points which you use to acquire units. Completing missions earns you points, and you gain extra points by completing secondary and secret objectives. Points are also earned by keeping your troops alive. The categories you can choose your units from are infantry, armored, and support vehicles and artillery. There is a maximum limit of 25 units you can deploy per mission. More advanced units, like the Tiger tank, only become available later on in the campaigns. Infantry units can also be equipped with additional gear such as binoculars or Molotov cocktails.

Selecting the right mix of units is important, but is hampered by the fact that the mission briefings fail to provide any Intel on what type of enemy units you're likely to encounter. The missions themselves are very diverse and present many tactical challenges. Some missions are based on real life battles and range from the German armored attack on Stalingrad to the allied airborne assault during D-day. There are a couple of missions which force you to only use infantry units like the Allied Assault mission based on the capture of several bridges by airborne troops during D-day. This seems odd for a 'Panzers' game and those missions are the least impressive because of this. Most missions, however, are fun and challenging and keep you on your toes by forcing you on the offensive and defensive. The game offers 30 missions that are divided over three campaigns; German, Russian and Allied campaigns. This should provide at least 25 hours of game play after which you can dig into the multi-player part of the game.

Besides earning extra points for more soldiers or vehicles, keeping your units alive is also important because your units gain experience over the course of the game. Experienced units are stronger and can take more damage than new units. This gives the game an extra layer of tactical game play since it really pays off to complete objectives without losing any units. The air support is not under your direct control and is not available in each mission. Instead, you are given limited amount of air support calls to call in fighter-bombers for precision strikes and bombers for blanket bombing of a designated area. You'll also get limited number of long range artillery support calls and recon plane calls. The fighter bombers are the most effective support you can call and their unrealistic quick response can bail you out of a tight spot. My favorite is the paratroopers' support. Having the ability to air drop troops behind enemy lines can turn the tide of the battle in an instant.

CP 3D world and units are rendered with a lot of detail. The tank models are especially nice to look at. Tanks rock on their suspension after firing their cannon and black smoke blows from the exhaust pipes when they charge full speed ahead. The environment is also incredibly detailed and life-like and most buildings are destructible. All of this graphical splendor can be viewed and zoomed-in on from any angle thanks to an easy to control camera. Controlling your units is easy and follows the RTS standards. It is also worth mentioning that you can order your infantry to run, crouch or crawl. Changing their stance affects their stealth and the amount of damage they take. Fortunately you don't have to micromanage you infantry too much since they'll automatically dive for cover when they come under fire. That does not go for the tanks, as they'll stay put until they blow up so you'll have to back them up to the rear and repair them with your repair truck (which is a unit you should never go into battle without). The sound effects are done well and the soundtrack changes according the action that is going on, which adds that extra bit of immersion.

The cut scenes and voice-overs are weak though and fail to really pull you into the story. The 3D engine can certainly render the battlefield in impressive details but it falls short in the cut scenes, and the characters look stiff and awkward. The voice-over acting is inconsistent and the dialog is weak. Luckily, all of this does not affect the game play because the development team has used the events of actual battles to great effect to create exciting missions that you'll want to complete regardless of the background story and cut-scenes.

My biggest gripe with CP is the fact that you'll be able to complete most missions with the same mix of units and that takes the fun out of selecting your units and balancing your combined taskforce before the mission starts. Another gripe I have is the unrealistic accuracy of your artillery units. No matter at what range, every shell always lands dead on target. This would have somehow been eased if the enemy AI was a bit more aggressive, but in most cases the enemy AI takes the defensive position after initial engagement.

CP is a fast paced RTS delivering the adrenaline rushes that the tactical gamers crave for. Its ease of control and forgiving game play make it an ideal candidate for new comers to the WWII RTS genre while the vast amount of units and historically accurate mission cater to the hardcode fans. If you are looking for a deep and realistic WWII strategy game, you might want to skip this one. But if you're looking for fast paced carnage and want to see your tanks roll over the beautifully rendered terrain heading into battle, then CP is the game for you.