The map movement takes a little getting use to because the backgrounds are actually 3-Dimensional and not flat as in most war simulation games. Shadow Company has nothing to complain about in this department. The sound is decent with nice explosion and gunshot noise, yet there is nothing new or exciting to bring personality to your team members. Some lighting effects are overemphasized to compensate with the overall dark look to the game. Great character animations are present, and it is really neat to see your characters throw a downed member or enemy over his or her shoulder to avoid detection.

The character designs are nothing extraordinary and the maps are very repetitive in look and feel throughout all missions. There is smooth transition while sliding the mouse and little to no breakup or lag. It uses a strange 3/4 perspective in which you slide the mouse to the furthest most points of the quadrants of your monitor to slide the backgrounds. Shadow Company: Left for Dead is a 3D point-and-click simulation which sports similar textures and smoothness found in the Myth series. Replay Value: The nine missions take some time to complete but more campaigns and multiplayer-only maps would extend product life.

Sound: The fresh and realistic music adds to the mood, while the gung-ho speech of the mercenaries is appropriately amusing.Д®njoyment: Over-sensitive controls and poor AI reduce playability. Graphics: Graphics are the high-point with sprawling 3D landscapes, only slightly spoiled by the steep 'cliffs' that mark the end of each map section. The combination of planning and warfare is well done - it just isn't quite the brilliant game it could have been with a little more development time. If, however, you can overcome these difficulties and annoyances, Shadow Company: Left for Dead can be a rewarding strategy adventure. Multiplayer support is slow and available only via a LAN or TCP/IP so you have to know your opponent's IP address beforehand. Minor difficulties include being stuck on an object and the problems associated with finding a ground object (for example, ammo) to put in the inventory. Likewise, enemies walking into a landscape littered with their fellow soldiers often remain blissfully ignorant, rendering the pick-up-and-hide-body function largely useless. It's possible to shoot an enemy dead while the person standing next to him remains unaware. For a game that relies heavily on tactics, poor enemy AI is also a negative feature that stands out. The requirement to use dual controls (Number Pad keys combined with right mouse clicks) is tricky at best and nauseating at worst. Ironically, the superb graphics are allied with an extremely difficult camera system, which follows the action. In an odd way, this aspect detracts from the realistic nature of the game rather than enhancing it. With such superb graphics, one must wonder why the designers deemed it necessary to insert footage of a real-life actor to brief you before and during each mission.

The varied landscapes require mercenaries to move in realistic and unique ways - for example, traveling faster downhill than on flat terrain.Дetails such as boats causing ripples in the water are refreshing and add to the sense of realism. You encounter many different types during the nine missions including rolling grasslands, flowing rivers and snow-capped hills. The striking graphics, which render the terrain in realistic 3D, is the game's strongest feature. Shadow Company: Left for Dead, a squad-based strategy game, strikes a nice balance between action and tactics but has flawed gameplay in areas that may spoil the game for some or just plain annoy others.