http://www.airborneassault.com/
Developer: Panther Games http://www.panthergames.com/
Publisher: Battlefront.com http://www.battlefront.com/

Operation Market Garden, specifically 1st Airborne Division’s participation in the action immortalised in the book and movie A Bridge Too Far, is one of the most wargamed battles of WW2.

So when the Australian company Panther Games released Airborne Assault they were entering quite a crowded field. Panther Games has already had some critical success in the computer wargaming industry with the much-accredited Fire Brigade, released in 1988.

Airborne Assault recreates the period that 1st Airborne landed and then held on to their end of the Arnhem Bridge. Players control platoon and company groups which can be commanded within Arnhem and its surrounds throughout a range of scenarios or a campaign to recreate the entirety of the paratroopers tenacious stand.

Airborne Assault is a real-time wargame with units represented as icons with either standard NATO symbols or unit silhouettes.

The game’s visual and aural presentation is quite good for this genre and sound effects support each engagement and are dependant on the type of unit involved – from small-arms fire as two infantry formations clash through to the high screech of a Nebelwerfer battery pounding the positions of the paras.

The graphics are crisp and the game utilises easy-to-read icons, while the map looks very good until it is zoomed all the way in. The game’s interface is simple but still provides ample control and visual feedback.

Each counter can provide a large amount of information about the status of the unit and side menus add to the depth of information by including casualty and logistic states for the selected organisation. Players can give orders to all sub-unit headquarter elements, which then plot the final position and route for each of their call signs.

Players can embark on a single player game as either the Germans or the Allies against a very strong and responsive AI that makes changing history extremely difficult. A multi-player option for playing via LAN and Internet is also available.

Airborne Assault has a command function, which while deceptively simple, provides players a variable selection of orders including ROF, aggression, formation and acceptable casualty rates.

Airborne Assault is at first glance a basic wargame. A simple point and click interface covers the numerous options and command flexibility that the game provides. After studying the game manual and playing Airborne Assault for a short period it becomes obvious that it is a highly detailed and accurate recreation of the operations around Arnhem. The deeper a player studies the gameplay, rules and information provided in the game the more drawn into it they should become. A feature in this immersion is a superb 250-page manual that is not often seen in modern releases.

Airborne Assault’s subtle command and control, its realistic reaction by units to orders such as moving to FUPs before assaulting and a wealth of information on the units and the commanders involved on both sides of the battle make for fascinating play.

Airborne Assault is an engrossing wargame that should keep players busy for hours trying to change history and hold on to the bridge long enough to get the lead elements of XXX Corps over the bridge. It is great to see an Australian company get it so right. One can only hope that they will not wait another 14 years to release their next game.

Panther Games has recently released patch and development tools for Airborne Assault that allows players to embark on a non-historical Nijmegen Bridge campaign and use other game maps to develop different scenarios.

Airborne Assault is only available from the publisher’s web site for US$40 and requires a Celeron 500Mhz with 128MB Ram, 16MB Video Card and 600MB of hard-drive space for optimum play. Thanks to MAJ Marty McKone for his assistance with this review.

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