Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942

Tanks Are Tricky buggers at the best of times, big lumbering brutes that they are, but if their rumbling and whining gives you shivers of joy then perhaps this game will do the same for you. It'll also help if you're a fan of games like IL2 Sturmovik and Operation Flashpoint, given that this is a simulation of almost equal complexity. You command tanks and infantry, you drive tanks, you serve as gunner, but never at the same time. And those hatches? You'll have to open and close them manually, you lazy git. True to both genre and subject, the game might seem a little impenetrable to begin with. Combat feedback isn't always clear, the game's campaigns are drenched in real history, and beyond the pleasing clunks and groans of your steel-clad monster, there is little that immediately rewards. As with other such games however, persevere and you may find satisfaction as your tank rolls over a hill and into a large battle.

Black smoke lingers over beleaguered towns, the air is filled with the sound of thundering cannons, and scenery will collapse before you. The graphical quality ranges from impressive to somewhat coarse, with a great deal of detail given to tanks, but somewhat less given to infantry and scenery.

The mission editor breathes longevity into it, but the three types of tank available may be a limiting factor, and it certainly seems a shame that it couldn't have been developed as a broader military simulation, as the gameplay mechanics and attention to detail are relatively solid. A game for enthusiasts and simulation masochists.