Introduction: If you are old enough to remember back to the 8 bit days of yore, then you may recall a certain awesome Spectrum game: Laser Squad. As its name suggests, it was a squad focused turn-based war game that pitted you against a whole host of different alien and robot enemies in multiple environments. Its genius was the quality of the turn based play. Before this even really existed as a genre, Laser Squad was pulling of nuanced game mechanics such as opportunity fire, over-watch, movement effected by equipment, and a variety of firing options. This, in addition to being able to interact with the environment, delivered a rich and flexible game that really did let your imagination run wild. Add to all this a great sound track that still rings in my ears today, and you have some of the reasons it was such a success.

This popularity has rung through the ages on pretty much every generation since then. For a while it was developed in a UFO vein whilst interest in our extra-terrestrial friends was on the up, and more recently it has been re-imagined on the PC as Laser Squad Nemesis. Now that same game format has come to the little old Game Boy Advanced (GBA). It is amazing that this hasn't happened sooner with such a great match technology wise. The GBA has plenty of horse power in comparison to those early 8 bit machines on which the series cut its teeth.

GamePlay: Not only is this a fresh machine for the franchise, but we are also treated to a full re-imagining of that original format. The game starts out with some thankfully not too heavy-handed tutorial levels to get you started. Not that we needed them on the original version back in the day, but hey no harm easing people into things slowly. Once you have the basic turn based approach down you are ready to head into some of the proper missions. This involves choosing the people and equipment that you want to take into each battle. Not only does each person have their own abilities and strengths, but the equipment they carry affects how far they can move and how tired they get.

As you get into the rhythm of the game, and the various pieces are in play you find a game that draws a lot of its structure from chess. There is the same edgy opening stage where you are setting out your stall; many players even seem to adopt standard openings. There is then the more frantic battle for superior positioning and obtaining the key strategic points of the battle field. Finally there is the closing out the opponent to minimise the amount of damage you sustain. Unlike chess, you then drag you weary crew off the board only to face another battle with another set of enemies.

Control: The game has no problem re-creating the joystick and single button mechanic on the GBA. It extends this to bring in the use of both shoulder buttons to complement the D-Pad. This gives you more options for viewing the various tactical and battle focused options the game provides. The positive feel of the D-Pad is just what a turn-based game requires. You want to be sure that you have made a particular move and not mistakenly use up action points with needless mistakes.

Graphics: Visually things have moved on a notch or two since the Laser Squad days, and Rebelstar Tactical Commander has had a suitable lick of paint. Whilst remaining true to that distinctive fixed isometric art style of the original, Tactical Commander takes advantage of the GBA high colour screen with some nicely rendered visuals. The style is more cartoony than realistic, which helps them to portray as much information as possible on screen at one time without it becoming overly busy or cluttered. The cut scenes between battles do edge a little to close to the manga stylings of other more Japanese centric turn based games for our liking, but that is a minor complaint. The high quality visuals are maintained throughout and make the game a joy to play.

Sound & Music: Whilst not quite reaching the heights of the original's mood educing chip sounds and synth tunes, Tactical Commander's music is proficient none the less. Because of the long nature of each round, the music can become a little annoying as you notice it looping for the third or forth time, thankfully there is a setting to turn it off. The sound effects are slightly stronger and add not only extra weight to the action, but also a degree more information about what is happening on or off screen. Those hit and hope shots into the dark gain new meaning as you wait for the tell tale sign of hitting an enemy that is just out of sight.

Final Comments: This is a great little package. Whether you want to reminisce about the good old days, or visit the turn based genre for the first time there is plenty to entertain you here. What could have been a poor nod to previous success turns out to be a solid little game in its own right. Take our advice and pick up this little gem, its a great way to breath new life into that old GBA or even make some use of Slot 2 on your DS.

Pro: Well balanced turn based play.
Con: Poor cut scenes and no link-up play.
Final Score: 8.6

Reviewed by: Douglas Andrews