By: Chris Stavros

When WW II came to an end, many people hoped and believed a new era of peace would spread over the world. After years of death and destruction, most were tired of war and fighting. However, there were those among the winners of the war that hoped to use the war's ending as a springboard to power. After the fighting was done, two super powers emerged, the United States and the Soviet Union. The Americans had a huge advantage as the world's only nuclear power, but the Soviets were determined to close this gap and maintain the status quo, and thus was born a long hard era known as The Cold War. This war could not be fought out in the open, but through secret operations and double-dealing. This is the world of Hammer and Sickle.

Hammer and Sickle is a tactical Role Playing game that is based on the Silent Storm game engine. Players assume the role of a Soviet agent with a mission of infiltration into the western occupied zone of Germany, with the backdrop being 1949. This was a pivotal year, as Stalin decided to test the West's will with a ground blockade of Berlin, and the threat of war between the super powers was very real. As the game moves along, you must carry out various missions to further the Communist agenda.

This game has a very strong role-playing element. From the start, you select your character's appearance, race, hair color, facial features and name. You then select what military specialty you would like to have, and each type has strengths and weaknesses within the game system. You can play as a Soldier, who is best with weapons; a Sniper, who is an expert at long range killing; a Scout who is an expert at infiltration and is decent at hand to hand combat; an Engineer, who is skilled at placing and disarming explosives and can also pick locks quite well; a Grenadier who is best with heavy weapons; and lastly a Medic, who can heal himself and others.

The game has an unusual turn based engine, which slows when an enemy is close by. Normally your character moves about unmolested, but when heard or observed the game switches to full turn mode, in which each action you take requires AP points. Equipping weapons and tools, moving, and firing all consume AP points. When you run out of points the AI moves, and if you survive, another round starts until the enemy or your character is killed. Death can come very swiftly in this game, even though your man is tough, but he isn't unbeatable.

Your character has a limited inventory of items he can carry. Depending on its size, each item takes up space, and things can be discarded to pick up other items. There are many useful things scattered around the maps you search, and the most important of these item is money. With money you can buy items, bribe officials, obtain forged documents, and even hire other agents to help you complete missions.

The game opens with you going to Soviet Headquarters and receiving a briefing from an old Army friend. He tells you your mission is so secret the Kremlin will disavow you if caught or captured, and frankly that you were selected because you are considered expendable, which doesn't phase your man. After this, you are brought secretly to the border to meet the first game challenge - infiltrating into West Germany without getting killed. Since the mission is top secret, even the Soviet guards don't know about it, so you must evade them as well as the Americans to make it. If you do make it through you will have access to the strategic map, and enter your first West German city to begin the mission. The game is somewhat linear up to this point, but once you clear the early missions different possibilities open up. Player interaction with the NPCs (non-player characters) can drastically alter the game's flow and missions.

The plot of the game is rather complex, but all you really need to know is that you are trying to prevent the west from starting a nuclear war, and the details of how to do this are slim at best. The NPCs are key to carrying out missions and continuing the main mission for your masters in the Kremlin. These people vary greatly, as you will meet thieves, traitors, underworld figures, forgers, trained intelligence agents, and even counter-intelligence agents out to kill or capture you. The game engine supplies the NPCs with their own motivations, and these can clash with you and your mission or help and enhance your chances. But caution is advised, as a back stab is always possible.

Many things can affect how a mission plays out - even the time of day. It's easier to do break-ins at night for example, but raiding someone's house might better be done by daylight. NPCs also may or may not be around depending on the time of day; it takes some time to know when and where a NPC will show up, but game experience will show the way.

There is a great danger that your actions may trigger what you are sent to prevent - a nuclear attack on Russia. There is a NATO concern meter, and if you are too aggressive (or sloppy) you may well cause increased tensions, or even worse, force the NATO Allies to drop the big one, ending the game in a defeat for you and the Soviets.

Visually this game is outstanding, the characters are detailed and crisp, and weapons and details are smartly rendered. The visual attention to detail is amazing, right down to accurate Soviet uniforms and equipment. There is a limited tutorial that teaches how to move and fight, but how you carry out the missions is up to you.

Overall this is an excellent tactical role-playing game. An unusual perspective, playing as the Soviets, and all of that combined with so many options make for endless hours of game play with strong replayablity. But be forewarned, this game is difficult to master, but well worth the effort to do so.

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