Silent Hunter

Silent Hunter, whether good or bad, has at least made a little bit of history just by being released. Though its World War II setting is hardly original or, superficially at least, groundbreaking, there aren't many games that charge you with playing through the conflict from Nazi Germany's point of view.

Rather than making a political point, however, Silent Hunter never ventures beyond its chosen battlefield - the sea.

Indeed, considering the mythos that surrounds the successes of German U-boats in the first few years of the war, the game's Kriegsmarine setting seems entirely apt, leading to a brand of submarine warfare that has much to offer.

That's mainly down to the fact that Silent Hunter keeps things incredibly simple. Taking a top-down view, there are just two kinds of action you can take as you drive your U-boat through enemy territory - hiding, or attacking.

Sinking beneath the waves is just a simple case of hitting the '1' key, each level you drop lessening the offensive options available to you, the idea being to creep into a position undetected so you can then pop up and launch a deadly assault upon the enemy - the British, French or Americans.

Folding through one historical encounter after another, firing upon your foe is either a case of shooting a torpedo underwater - using the left soft key - or using your on deck weaponry by holding and releasing the '5' key, a combination of the two the best way to sink your targets.

Silent Hunter makes a good job of encouraging balanced play, however: simply sailing into the dragon's den in full view is usually a fast track to a watery grave. Though not especially complex, more success is found by sinking beneath the surface for short bursts, the ideal being to avoid getting spotted on the enemy's radar.

Underwater excursions can be costly, however, each trip below using up both oxygen and battery life. Timing your ventures both at sea level and down to the sea bed is often the key.

Aside from such strategy, Silent Hunter does become a bit of a button-basher, but by charging you with fighting the war for the Wermacht instead of the Allies - just firing upon ships emblazoned with the Union Jack rather than defending them is curious enough to be oddly addictive - Silent Hunter is something of a special package, the gameplay itself doing little to dent this unique glimpse into the world of watery warfare.