We are suckers for RTS games, generally speaking, but every once in a while a game comes along that completely disappoints in just about every area possible. We present to you Cold War Conflicts: Days in the Field 1950-1973. When we first opened this game up we noticed the only thing included was a game disc; no instruction booklet. Normally this would not be too big of a problem. Of course a tutorial would be included to help you get started after all, right? Naturally that's what we figured, but after trying the single game and the campaign mode we realized that all was hopeless and we'd have to figure things out on our own. Of course whether or not that's a bad thing is all relative, but for the sake of instant fun factor and not-so patient gamers we're going to have to say it's a most important part of the gameplay that definitely should have been included.

The graphics are less than amazing with a maximum resolution of 1024x768 and intensely boring battlefields and character designs. The character animations move at a slow frame rate and one might say that the only great thing about these extremely dated graphics is the ridiculously low system requirements. Of course graphics aren't everything, as we know, especially in a RTS game where most important are the AI and the difficulty levels/learning curve.

One thing we do like about CWC is that it streamlines the combat process by removing all resources other than ammunition, which can be received from ammo dumps or supply trucks. By removing all the typical resources (gold, wood, food) the players is left with much more time to concentrate solely on strategy and combat. Also removed from gameplay are the technology tree, unit creation and building construction. Which of course leaves nothing but combat and... well, combat.

The AI controlling your units could have and should have been greatly improved upon. The units, when commanded to do something, don't always do it - in fact they usually don't - do things in the best possible way. Prepare to always keep a close eye on your troops, so as to make sure they don't all end up killing themselves en route to their destination - all this of course is due to the poorly designed AI.

Music is almost nonexistent but we must say that the sound effects are done fairly well and with some effort (which is much more than can be said about other parts of this game). The weapon sounds are done quite well and really give you the illusion that you are there on the battlefield and truly hearing all the explosions and ammunition going off around you. One awesome feature is that the voice acting is done in the troops' own separate languages, such as Arabic, Korean, English and more. Of course this can also be a bit of a barrier for those of us who aren't quite so multilingual but overall it is a good experience, and again adds to the realism of the battles you will be waging.

All in all Cold War Conflicts is a disappointing experience with a few shining moments here and there. Our biggest complaint would have to be the atrocious AI and unit selection. Of course there's plenty more where that came from. CWC will not be remembered as a great game; in fact we're willing to bet it won't even be remembered at all. We'll see a few years down the line. Until then give it a shot if you absolutely have to try every RTS game released, but if that's not the case then avoid it like the black plague.