Conquer The World With The Click Of A Mouse
A Review of Command and Conquer
by Trey Murff
Command and Conquer is a real time tactical level combat game with
strategic elements set in the near future. It supports individual as well as
multiplayer play. When playing against the computer, you are given the
choice of fighting for the GDI (good guys) or NOD (bad guys). With either
choice, you fight your way through 15 grueling scenarios. Personally, I
have completed all the GDI missions and I am currently on NOD mission
10. I won't go into any further detail about the missions as not to spoil
some of the surprises. However, I will tell you that the NOD missions
appear to be more difficult than the GDI missions, so I recommend
beginning with the GDI.
On the box you will read that C&C comes with 2 CDs. After opening the
box you will find only 1 jewel case. Both CDs are in located in the jewel
case which is hinged to reveal the second CD. The install procedure is
simple enough and quite entertaining in its own right.
The game proceeds with an introduction patterned after channel hopping. On some channels you see quaint video clips and on others you catch parts of news casts. From the news clips you gather that there is a conflict going on between GDI and NOD forces. After the introduction, you are given the option of beginning the game on either the NOD or GDI side.
Game play will be very familiar to those who have played Dune II. A
mouse is required and the same point and click philosophy is used.
However, there is a larger variety of units than in Dune II. This includes
Minigunners, Grenadiers, Rocket Troops, Hum Vees, Rocket Bikes,
Tanks, Helicopters and Guard towers to name a few. In fact, if you play
your aces right, you may even get a nuclear weapon to use in the last
scenario for the NOD.
There are also keyboard commands for grouping units and giving orders. However, these commands are not documented in the manual, so be sure and read the readme file in the C&C directory for instructions on what keys to use.
The 320x200 by 256 color graphics are beautiful, but it would have been nice to have the option of playing in 640x480 mode. The maps can be quite large and Westwood did a good job of including a number of different terrain types. You will encounter cliffs, rivers, deserts, forest, towns and fortified installations.
While fighting the enemy, you must also provide enough income to build
structures and units. This income comes from tiberium that is harvested and
converted to money. However, not all missions will require you to build
This is all well and fun but Westwood has done us one better than Dune II
by including a multiplayer mode. With one game (you recall that it comes
with 2 CDs), 2 players can compete over a modem, IPX network, or direct
serial connection. Then, if you have a friend who also purchased the game,
you will be able to play 4 players over an IPX network (of course you will
need to find 2 more friends with PCs).
But the fun doesn't stop here! With a wonderful gaming tool, Kali, you can
play up to four player games across the Internet. Since you are probably reading this with a web browser, multiplayer C&C is within your
grasp. Check out my Kali article in the Multiplayer Mayhem section for
To sum it up, Command and Conquer is one of the most exciting and
addicting games I have played. I have stayed up way too late on many
occasions unable to pull myself away. Although C&C has only 30 mission
3540 W. Sahara #323
Las Vegas, NV 89102
IBM PC 486 DX2-66, MS Compatible 
units. There is even one mission on the GDI side where all you have is a
commando and transport helicopter. If you get to this mission and are
having problems, drop me an email and I can give you some hints on how
to get through. Also, if you have completed all the NOD missions, drop me
an email since I may need some help on the later missions 
more information or visit http://www.axxis.com/kali . There is nothing like
playing C&C against a live opponent. In fact, I probably would be done
with the 30 missions if I didn't keep taking time out to play against my
buddies.
you will find it well worth your money. A warning though, many of the
scenes depict graphic violence and are probably not appropriate for
younger kids. Go and conquer!
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
Product:
Command and Conquer
Company:
Westwood Studios, Inc.
Cost:
$54.00
System Requirements:
Mouse, Sound Blaster Compatible Sound Card, 20 MB HD Space, Double
Speed CD-ROM, DOS 5.0 or higher, IPX/MODEM/NULL MODEM for
Head to Head Play
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 5
Interface 5
Replayability 3 (standalone) 5 (multiplayer)
Graphics 4
Sound 5
Overall Score:
