Hidden and Dangerous (PC) > Reviews > Dun, dun, dun de dun, dun, daa daa dun...

Author's product rating:   

Playability & Enjoyment	Excellent - very playable game
Graphics	Good
Sound	Good - relevant music & effects
Difficulty & Complexity	A difficult game - needs a lot of patience

Advantages:	Great gameplay, excellent game engine, fun sound, great menus
Disadvantages:	Far too many bugs

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Your name is Whateverthehellyouwantittobe. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to lead a crack team of British commandos behind enemy lines, and cause as much havoc as possible. This message will self destruct as soon as you take a cigarette lighter to it.

Hidden and Dangerous is great fun. Set in World War Two's Axis-infested Europe, you lead a commando team through six different campaigns, and 40 different missions, in an attempt to, well, be a pain in the arse to Hitler and co.

The graphics are good for their day, and the game runs well. The objectives within the game are diverse, and the storyline is also good. You can be shot down in your transport one minute, and overrunning a captured Partisan base the next.

What is really impressive about Hidden and Dangerous is the game engine. I'm currently running an AMD 300 (not for long, mind), and the game runs perfectly, with little or no lag (daft loading times though).

Hidden and Dangerous is essentially a squad-based FPS game, but the emphasis is on strategy. Move seamlessly between players and camera modes, making sure your troops are doing exactly what you want them to do.

For the strategic side of things, the third person view allows you to look around the landscape, and check your squadmates are in position. It also allows you to set up a certain formation if you want to hold position. The map mode, a three-dimensional layout of the area, helps immensely in getting your troops to move around without your constant intervention.

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to shoot anything from this view mode, so that's where FPS comes in. Want to take part in the action? Something specific need shooting? No problem. Hit the first person button, and you're looking down the sights of your gun. Pick a Nazi, hold your breath, and squeeze...

And it's mondo realistic. Bullets fly past your head with the little whizzy sound to accompany them, and, for once, you're as mortal as the enemy. That's right. You can't just stand in front of a chaingun.

Of course, there are a few annoyances. The major one is the amount of bugs in the game engine. It's ridiculous. For example, there's the daft shape optimisation:

"Right, I can just climb over this knee-high chain fence. Oh, wait, no I can't. Right, now I'll have to back that car up, jump onto the roof, perform the YMCA whilst balancing a pie on my forehead, and backflip over the fence, holding my nose and singing the national anthem."

And then there's the most annoying of all - the holes:

"That's right, you Nazi git. You can't see me. I'll just pull the trigger and...uh...wait a minute, where's the world go? Excuse me, I'm falling! The world's up there, and I'm not! Invisible floor? What invisible floor? Ouch!"

Oh, and the pathetically weak vehicles:

"Hehe, I'm in a truck. Can't get me now. But wait! A Nazi's shooting the side with a pistol! Nooo! 8 bullets of that will kill me! *BOOM*"

These can, after a while, get on your nerves. So save often, and try not to damage the keyboard. Oh, and that's another point. You can't reconfig the keyboard controls. Nafski.

But it's still worth playing. And for those budding commandos out there, I've got a few tips. Firstly, always take a sniper. He'll get more kills than anyone, trust me. A Lee Enfield round through the head does wonders.

Secondly, never take your orders too seriously. For instance, 'Don't get detected' usually means 'Don't let anyone who sees you survive.' Improvise your own strategies if the computer's don't work. It's your world, and your squad, so it's your rules.

H&D is an excellent game, despite the bugs (I love the menus). I would recommend buying it, simply because it' so fun to play. The atmosphere and the detail in the game really make you feel like a commando, creeping round corners, stealing clothes from washing lines, etc. I love it. Alright, everyone. Pass your dog tags to the pilot...