Tiny Troops is the first strategy game to be released for the Amiga in over a year and with more in the pipeline lets hope they are just as good as Tiny Troops and even better.

Tiny Troops starts up with a atmospheric intro which gives you the storyline to the game. The storyline goes like this; the inhabitants, the Klutes and the Furfurians of Agaris IV have been fighting each other for over five hundred years. They have been fighting for so long that they can't even remember why it all started but now they have a problem as there home planet has been so badly damaged that it could explode. Therefore a scientist called Dr Shah's suggests they move the battle from their own planet to Earth. So now the war has been transferred to Earth were you will have battles in the gardens, toy rooms, on beaches and in the kitchens.

Before you get into the war you have to choose the side to want to be. Once you have chosen, you then have to chose your tactics such as the troops you want to use. You can even take a peek at the map to give you a idea of the terrain and the obstacles you may have to get around. If you are a little unsure on your tactics you could always ask your General who will give you a tip on what to expect, which of course you should heed.

The first few levels are the easy ones so you can get use to the controls of your troops. You have a bar at the bottom of the screen of which you can chose your how to move your troops. You can plot four way points when moving which helps to get pass any obstacles or to avoid contact with the enemy. You can either select one troop to move or a large number by simply putting a box round the ones you want to move and by selecting one troop you can see his status such as his health which is very important. If your Troop is badly damaged you can send him back to the Transporter to get repaired which can be the key to winning a battle as you need to both stay alive and beat the enemy.

Instead of attacking in any set pattern you have the option to move your troops into such patterns as Wedge, Wall, Decoy and Pincer which is one of the best as it lets you surround the enemy in trapping there movements and forcing them to fight there way out. You have the option to Stand Guard which is very important as the enemy could out flank you and destroy your Transporter, therefore defeating you. There is also a very clever option called, Call for Help which is very handy if your little troop is on the brink of death as all his friends will immediately go to his aid thereby giving you the opportunity to get him back.

Of course after you are adjusted to the controls it is time to get some of the action. The aim of the game is simple enough, destroy the enemy and stay alive but in later levels your missions are far more detailed such as rescuing prisoners or destroying installations. In the first few levels your troops are armed with the basic gun but this progresses on as in the third level you get, Grenadiers who can kill the enemy far quicker but can be easily killed so make sure they have someone to cover them. With the increase in new weapons it gives you greater firepower to wipeout the enemy but you will find that the enemy can get the firepower just as fast. The troops you can get are Grenadiers, Mine Layers, Flame Throwers, and you can get vehicles like Tanks, Gliders, Dune Buggies, Bouncers, Missile Launchers and a whole lot more to discover.

Tiny Troops really does have style especially with some of the clever additions in levels; rocks that can be moved to give you an advantage against overwhelming odds. For instantance I had about eight troops, 4 grenadiers and 4 troops with guns; further above the map was around 30 enemy troops all with guns. But I noticed two large rocks of which I was able to move and block the path so when the enemy approached I was able to throw grenades over the rocks and destroy the enemy. In a later level I was able to destroy some Gun Turrets by landing some glider troops on the cliffs and shot down to destroy them. It gives you a sense of achievement that makes you just want to continue on and find out what comes next.

The music and sound effects in the game are good with the grenades sounding real with them whizzing through the air until they explode on the enemy.

Tiny Troops also has a option which truly does make a really well worth game to get, it has a two player option of which it gives you the chance fight against your friends with plenty of the top weapons to choose from. Once you play it in two player you won't be able to stop. The best way to defeat your friend is to select all your troops and take out the tanks or flame throwers as they can do big damage against your army. Once you destroy his big armour it's just a matter of cleaning up.

I am very much a strategy fan and I have to admit that I found myself really enjoying this and after a year of waiting for a new strategy game it has been well worth the wait.



Graphics 92% - "Plenty to look at throughout the game"
Playability 93% - "Takes time to learn but once to have the hand of it the whole game moves faster"
Sound 92%- "Good explosions and nice music"
Addiction 94% - "You can really become absorbed into the war"
Lastability 94% - "60 levels full of missions but you need to work hard on beating them"

Overall 93%
"Tiny Troops is an absorbing strategy game with the added bonus of having a two player option. I would highly recommend buying Tiny Troops to every Amiga Owner."

Amiga Flame Star
of Excellence

If you want to get the game check Vulcan Software web site for full details you will find it at:-

• How To Get Tiny Troops

• Vulcan Software

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