Combat Mission II is about as realistic as a WWII strategy title could hope to be. There are over 600 ground units, and that doesn’t include the 300 vehicles in the game. The seven major nations of the Barbarossa campaign are represented and playable. You can play as any nation that’s involved in a scenario, so you can play through as "the good guys" and then try again as the "bad guys."

Every vehicle and ground unit is detailed to match its real-world counterpart, from paint markings on the hulls of APC’s to the epaulet colors of the commanders’ uniforms. Beyond the visual accuracy, there’s the actual gameplay. Vehicles are rated in speed, turning and armor values, all measured with exacting precision. Ground troops are likewise presented, ensuring that fans of WWII simulations will become raving madmen as they play Combat Mission II.

At first, the gameplay in Combat Mission II is sure to appear incredibly strange to most strategy gamers. Actually, just about anyone who’s used to the "normal" style of turn- based strategy will probably pull their hair out for the first hour or so of playing CMII. It’s not a "my turn then your turn" style at all, rather its both players’ turns at the same time. Each player has to lock in his moves before anything happens. Once both players give the go-ahead, the troops begin moving and fighting, or both, and you’re left to watch the results. And there’s no way to jump in and interrupt a badly chosen set of moves, you just have to sit and watch the blood stain the Earth. While it’s difficult to get used to at first, you’ll find the more you play, the more realistic it feels, and you’ll also start spending a lot more time planning your moves, instead of just dropping troops here, there and everywhere.

If the movement planning isn’t odd enough for you, just wait until you try the combat! Unless you intervene in their decision-making, the troops will choose their own targets. There’s some incredible AI going on in the background here, as the troops really do a fantastic job of sizing up their targets, determining things like best chances of a hit, clearest line-of-sight, firing distance and deciding which fire team should hit which target. Thus, you’ll never see a bazooka team chase down infantry, and you won’t see your basic infantryman do something stupid like try to take out a tank. These guys are smart, heck, they’re actually brilliant at times, even knowing when to dig in to make themselves harder targets. If you consider yourself a superior judge of combat roles, you can always override the targeting with choices of your own, but even the manual warns against such folly. The prevalent theme of CMII seems to be, "you make the plans, let the troops do the job." There’s a very distinct line between strategy and tactics here, and the gameplay pretty much forces you, as the player, to handle the strategy, and let the ground commanders and grunts deal with tactical decisions. And you know what? It works out perfectly.

A game like this could easily be hobbled with weak enemy AI, and Battlefront was very careful to avoid this. They’ve made sure that opposing AI is always just as strong as yours. Depending on the scenario, AI might be weaker due to green or heavily exhausted troops, but on both sides, the AI is top shelf. You won’t ever mistake CMII for an "easy" game at any time. To be honest, I like to think of myself as a great strategist, and it took me two hours of playing and replaying to finish the first scenario I chose. Casual wargamers need not apply for a round of CMII.

There’s really so much depth to the gameplay of CMII, there’s just not enough space in a review for it all. I could dedicate a half of a dozen pages just to the armored unit combat system. Or there’s the damage system, which isn’t just a "bang! You’re dead!" situation. Rather, your doughboys might fire upon a German tank with everything they’ve got, only to blow one of its treads off, partially immobilizing it, yet leaving the turret active to rain fire down upon them. Or maybe they manage to blow the turret off, making it a pretty useless hunk of tin, yet it’ll still remain on the battlefield as cover for allied teammates. If you’ve ever played one of those highly detailed tabletop wargames like Squad Leader, you’ll understand just how deep CMII gets. As I’ve said before, casual gamers need not apply for command in Combat Mission II.

Graphically, CMII might not be the prettiest girl at the prom, but she’s certainly the most accurate. For example, the troops move like something out of "Stick Figure Theater," yet their helmets, uniforms and weapons are absolutely perfect matches for the real thing. A tank may look chunky and funky to you, but there won’t be a single incorrect marking, railing or weapon mount on it. Attention to detail is what captures the heart of hardcore wargamers, and the exacting level of detail applied to every unit in the game will guarantee CMII a place in every wargamer’s heart.

Oh glory be, I cannot say enough about the sound in Combat Mission II. Every single vehicle sounds so good; you’ll swear you’re right on the battlefield. And how about this for a treat, the developers have ensured that every soldier speaks in the tongue of his native land. Listen closely as your Russian commander shouts out marching orders to his platoon, or hear the German troops start getting chatty. There’s only one real downside to the sound of this game, and that’s the lack of a soundtrack, although you probably won’t care about it much. You’ll be too busy listening for hidden mortars firing from the forest, or Panzers sneaking up on your rear guard.

When a game comes with an extra CD of missions, it’s a sure sign that the developers intend for you to play their game for a long, long time. And with that CD comes a map and scenario editor to help feed your Combat Mission II addiction. If you tire of the pre-made scenarios, there’s always "Quick Play," which sets up a random scenario on the fly for you. If you tire of playing alone, the game has options for online and LAN play over TCP/IP networks, hotseat play and email based play. There’s really enough here to keep you (and a friend) busy for months. You’ll definitely get your dollar’s worth with CMII.

At the risk of sounding like some marketing shill for CDV and Battlefront, Combat Mission II: Barbarossa to Berlin is the most realistic PC title I’ve ever played. The unwavering attention to detail, the historical accuracy and gameplay system make it a wargamer’s dream. While I don’t see the typical pick-up-and-play gamer enjoying it, anyone who’s looking for the most intense and realistic WWII sim around would be hard pressed to find better. Wargamers, go buy this title immediately.

See more screens on the Combat Mission II media page