It wouldnt be surprising after Dominant Species and Force 21 if Red Storm decided to stay more focused on the Rainbow Six franchise. But no. Right before the release of the Rogue Spear expansion, Red Storm opted to take a chance on a turn-based strategy/RPG by the name of Shadow Watch.

Artistically inspired by contemporary comic books, Shadow Watch features all the spiffy trimmings of the genre: physics are exaggerated, unit functionality is limited, and the graphics are reminiscent of a Todd McFarlane comic book. The other real identifying mark is Shadow Watchs lack of over-complicated, Jagged Alliance-style micro-management.

Lurking in the dark alleys of our planets shadier nations, a conspiracy to stop the launch of the first international space station is underway. Hired to investigate, and quite possibly break more than a few kneecaps, is one of the best-kept secrets of the 21st century: the Shadow Watch. Taking command of this elite fighting force, your job will be to travel the world and get results  quick.

There are six highly specialized members in Shadow Watch: Gennady, the expert on gadgets; Maya, the sniper; Rafael, demolition expert; Lily, martial artist; Bear, shotgun-toting muscle-man; and Archer, leader of the operation. Each member is vital to succeeding in any one of the games three dangerous locales: Hong Kong, Rio De Janeiro, and Baikonur, Russia. If one of the six members dies, its curtains for the whole crew, and you must start the mission over.

Rendered in the classic three- quarter isometric view, gameplay is easy to learn, and easy to master. You issue simple orders: walk, run, duck, shoot, open doors, cover areas, and pick up key items (provided you have Action Points left). All the commands are assigned to cleverly placed hot-keys, so anyone familiar with the left hand on arrow keys style of play will be right at home.

Also hardwired into the gameplay engine is the ability to E-mail friends your mission success files: best times, best scores, etc. But this is a sad attempt at covering up the fact that Shadow Watch doesnt have a multiplayer mode.

Like a comic book, the physics are intentionally exaggerated: body armor is near-impossible to penetrate, and bar stools and other small objects provide adequate cover for an adult male. The heightened reality of the gameworld is a pleasantly fun change of pace from the ultra-realism trend in games these days. Still, it omits crucial unit functions such as picking up or dragging fallen teammates  a terrible design flaw when a teammate blocks a doorway and you cant step over him or get him out of the way.

As you make your way through the levels of Shadow Watch, each of your characters gains different experience points for their actions, thus earning them access to useful skills such as First Aid, Martial Arts, and Pick Locks. Ability advancements like Shot Accuracy, Better Armor, and More Action Points are tied into certain skills.

Where it really excels is in the graphics and audio department. The entire game is beautifully hand-drawn  from the characters 5,000 animations to the pre-mission interrogation scenes where you deal with scientists, military officers, and Asian gangsters to gather pieces of the puzzle. Audio is also a tasty treat with more than an hour of recorded dialogue, a haunting musical score, and the real-world sounds of doors creaking, grenades exploding, and silenced pistols whizzing.

Shadow Watchs gameplay is still not even in the same ballpark as X-COM  but its got its own goofy charms. The comic book atmosphere is undeniably attractive. And like icing on the cake, Shadow Watch randomizes each mission to assure long-term value.

If it werent for the lack of unit functionality, and the lack of multiplayer, I wouldve recommended this game more strongly.

Nash Werner