This is a very uneven, both the controls and the graphics feel a bit "off" to me. Still, if you had fun with Jagged Alliance 2 and are really starved then I think you'll get at least some bang for your buck.

Yeah its hard. Singleplayer campaign is crazyhard. And the learning curve is steep as a brick wall. BUT it is a tremendous squad/half platoon tactics game. You survive and win with the same elements as in real combat. Firesupremacy and manouvre. Pinningfire acctually works.

This is primarily a multipalyer game. Singleplayer is just as mentioned before hard and not much love have been put into any story or anything like that. But the combat system is the best ever! During the time i spent in the swedish army we used to challange each other as soon as we got any free time.

If you are into real squad level tactics from the real world this is the game for you. Skip the campaign and challange your friends instead.

This game is hard and unforgiving. But for some people this is a good thing, personally I love the challenge and I'm sure there are others who do too.

In terms of it's difficulty level I would compare it to the original Commandos game ('98) however it's not quite as linear and you can replay a mission with different loadouts, or tactics, and still achieve a victory. I should also add that, unlike Commandos, in ALFA there is no quick save/load - There is of course a save function, but this will cost you some of your allocated command points (unless you disable the feature) which are also required to equip your men with weapons/armour.

The gameplay itself is centered around the WeGo principal - That is, each turn the player(s) and AI issue orders and then watch them unfold during the 20 seconds each turn takes. This style of gameplay is most commonly associated with Battlefront's Combat Mission titles, and the developers themselves acknowledge CM as inspiration for this title. Other similarities can be found between the two.

For example the lines indicating where your soldiers are moving to, shooting or looking at are very similar, and of course the level of difficulty can also be compared - But in Combat Mission you are in control of a company sized number of soldiers/vehicles - In ALFA you can have a maximum of 16 men at your disposal.

Each mission starts with a briefing screen which gives you a background of the mission and location. It also informs you of how many squads you are allowed (max 4 squads, with 4 men p/squad) and the time of day the mission is set. There's a (rather small) tactical or world map picture and naturally it informs you of your tasks for the mission.

From this screen you can either "quick start" and jump right into the thick of it, or you can simply hit "ok" and proceed to the equipment screen.

I think for some people this level of preparation is too much and it could turn some away but for others, the level of control is great.

On to the loadout menu(s) - You are shown a list of various soldiers, all with their own respective abilities such as camo, accuracy, dexterity, sight etc... On top of this it also details how many missions a soldier has participated in and how many kills he has made.

After you make your choice, and organise them into the different squads available, you then move on to the equipment screen.

The soldiers are (very generally) split into 3 categories, Assault, Grenadier and Sniper - Each category has a variety of weapons available.

All of the units have pistols to choose from, the Snipers also have the option of grabbing a SMG if they have to breach or get in CQB.

There are a variety of maps you will see, most centered around Chechnya and many featuring buildings which can be entered. There is great attention to detail on these maps, you will find burnt out cars, rocks, trees, many items with which you can take cover behind. The grass is also well designed, allowing you to go prone and wait in ambush.

The control over your units is well beyond most other games - You can tell them what direction to look, whether to hold fire/fire at will or return fire only, there's also a handful of movement options, you can use the old recon by fire technique to flush out enemies, and you can lob grenades where you suspect an enemy is hiding. A great option is also the "watch sector" order, which will keep their focus on a certain point, increasing their reaction time if an enemy is spotted there but not taking their attention from other threats which appear.

This review is getting a bit long so to quickly wrap up..

There is also Multiplayer available, in the form of LAN games (playable online with programs like Hamachi) and hotseat. In MP you also have the option of playing one of the other nation's SF units, Germany's GSG-9, Britains SAS etc.. All come with a new set of weapons available, with the same quality of detail as the Russian weapons.

In closing, this game is great for fans of the "old school tactics" games such as Commandos, or Combat Mission titles, the level of control and attention to detail is overwhelming to most but there is a very big demo out there which contains enough content to give you an idea of what to expect.

For those who thinks this is your standard tactics strategy game. It isnt. If you go into it thinking that youll probably get dissapointed with it. The gameplay is in the same style as Laser Squad Nemesis or Frozen Synapse. Where both you and your opponents decide your moves at the same time and then you push go and see the results of your orders played out.

This game is hard as nails. The first few times I tried it I died before killing a single enemy. You have a main character that must survive at all costs, while other units are expendable. But right at the start of mission 1 you only have you'r leader and thus any misstake will be fatal.

I personally think the gameplay is fun and if you like Frozen Synapse or Laser Squad Nemesis youre sure to do aswell.

The sounds are good and the voice acting is good enough. Unlike the written translation which can be pretty bad at times. (And subtitles dont always match the spoken dialog.)

Now to the negatives.

The graphics are really bad. And I dont mean that in that they look old (which they do) but they lack clarity. It can be hard spotting enemies and your characters might not always wanna move because something small is in their way which they could easily walk around or over in real life.

The camera is pretty clunky and if something happens it doesnt go to that. You see what you yourself have chosen to center the view on. so usually your own soldiers. Ofcourse once you've hit go, the turn can be replayed over and over, just like in frozen synapse.

While FS had a great tutorial to teach you all the basics of the controls, this game has no tutorial at all. I think the unusual gameplay coupled with the lack of tutorials might be the main reason who so many dont give this game a chance.

I will admit that I havnt played the game much yet, the score might change once I get further into the game, but only up. First time I played the game I got killed and lost in the first turn so I ragequitted and didnt give the game a chance. But when I did, I discovered the gameplay is quite solid.

I really wanted to like this game. It reminded me on the screenshots of the Jagged Alliance series. IT IS NOT LIKE THAT. Athough I appreciate import games from other countries and specially the new plethora of Russian and Eastern Eurpean games hitting the market in recent years, there seems to be a great divide in quality. You have great ones like Metro 2033, the STALKER series and the Witcher Series. Then you get games like this one. Where the attempt at localization for an English speaking audience appeard to have been done by a drunken Russian person (based on the slurred monotone speech, not on a stereotype) with zero interest in what he was reading. Futhermore- developers, if you are going to provide a written dialog to accompany the spoken one- please, please, please, make sure they match.

Hard as hell or learning curve too high. I dont know. Not recomended.