Allegiance is Microsoft's latest foray into multiplayer on-line gaming. In the box, you'll find software to install and a handful of training sessions that will introduce you to the game's interface. When you're itching to play, it's time to go on-line. Microsoft would like to extract a monthly $9.95 fee from your credit card for the pleasure of connecting with the Allegiance Zone, where you'll get persistent rankings and some other special features. Thankfully, you also have the option of using the Gaming Zone to connect you to Allegiance games for free, or you can host your own LAN games.

These are the Allegiance training sessions. Don't skip them.

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The training sessions are part verbal lecture and part focused interactivity, introducing you to controlling your ship's motion, then weapons, and so on. You'll need this info to get an effective start. You know, it galls me to think of the games of similar complexity that have been published without such tutorial materials. I wish there were more training sessions on the Allegiance disc, but they're enough to get you started. By then you'll be itching to try some of the basics in action, and anyhow it seems Allegiance is a game largely learned through the process of playing.

A recommended job for a new player is Gunner. There's a Commander, who watches the galaxy from a strategic map and issues commands for the troops to obey (or reject!). An Investor turns earned money into new technologies. Pilots guide the individual ships through battles, with a reasonable variety of ships and weapons from which to choose. Finally, the Gunners can be hired to man the turrets bristling along some of the larger, slower ships, to aim 'n' shoot. It's probably obvious that the Gunner position requires the least training and experience, so it's the best place to just jump in.

There are several factions fighting in these battles, but I didn't find the back-story very involved or involving. But it does help to know the various sides' strengths and weaknesses. GigaCorp, for example, is loaded with monetary resources. And, each faction has a different technology tree for the Investor to develop.

Okay, rookie Pilot, why not fly away, go crazy, blow up some of those big rocks and some of your teammates, and strafe some space stations? Here's the gig: Pilots earn cash in Allegiance for accomplishing their mission objectives, so you'll want to be able to purchase upgraded ships. Even if you want to be a superstar in the show against the enemies, you may find that you're less effective than you'd be as a team player. Perhaps your Commander knows what he's talking about. Perhaps you'd better knuckle down, listen up, and help your team save the galaxy. It's like being on your first soccer team, learning how effective teamwork can be. How often have you seen that in a computer game?

The Pilot's cockpit is fantastic. You get a sparkling view of the galaxy, with abundant stars and colorful gases, lens flares and hot explosions. The graphics may be a bit simplistic, but they're real enough to be convincing.

Overlaid on this vantage point is your heads-up display (HUD). It may not be intuitively obvious, but the details are pretty well thought out. The elements of the HUD are generally drawn slim or small, apparently to keep your view unobstructed and to provide a lot of information on-screen. Especially as you're learning, it can seem like too much information shining in your face and sliding all around, but it's all useful and worth understanding. These replace the gauge-laden control panel seen in similar games.

The Allegiance cockpit and its HUD.

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Sound effects, including some vocal taunts that lend the game some extra personality, are nicely done. Rather than stand out as stunningly exceptional, the sound effects increase the game's sense of reality. The music is suitable too, fairly intense.

Allegiance has a demanding learning curve. There are rewards every step of the way, it seems, so don't despair. I'd prefer a simpler set of game controls, but this is a multifaceted game with rich options, and it veers toward "simulation" at least as much as "arcade game". Again, it would have been nice to have some intermediate tutorials available, or even a respectable manual. I guess the idea is to get you on-line, playing. Not reading.

These genre melting pots usually don't satisfy. Allegiance mixes real-time strategy with action, simulation with arcade, and you may even feel like you're role-playing at the same time. But it does not appeal to the solitary gamer. Be aware this is strictly an on-line game, where team effort and coordination is prized. Allegiance is more complex to play than is my usual preference; it does require some study and perseverance. But I have to admit it's fun, and it's cool, and it's got to be one of the slickest massively multiplayer games out there right now. Grade: A-.

Your PC can pledge allegiance to this game if it meets the following minimum system requirements: Multimedia PC with Pentium 200 MHz and a 3D accelerator card, or a Pentium II 266 without a 3D accelerator (Pentium II 300 MHz with 3D card recommended); Windows 95 or 98 with DirectX 7.0; 32 MB of RAM (64 MB recommended); Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, or Netscape 4.0 or later; 270 MB of hard drive space; quad-speed (4X) CD-ROM drive; SVGA (800x600) monitor, SVGA (800x600) video card supporting 16-bit color; Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device; DirectX-compatible sound card; 28.8 Kbps modem (56 Kbps recommended); and Internet access. A DirectX-compatible joystick is recommended.

Allegiance
[street: $36]
Microsoft
ESRB rating: Everyone ("E")

Army Men: World War continues the battle of the green plastic soldiers versus the tan plastic soldiers, familiar little toy figures brought to animated life in the series of Army Men games published by 3DO. This is definitely middle-of-the-road material, made to run on low-end PCs, and Army Men: World War probably would not have stood out even when a Pentium 133 was a speed demon.

Army Men World War: A friendly encounter.

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The action is quite familiar if you've played any other Army Men title. Your squadron of green soldiers, this time without Sarge, traverses the landscape to find power-ups like ammo and weaponry. To ease those tired green feet, your men may make use of vehicles like jeeps, tanks, and PT boats. The encounters with those tan enemies are little plastic melees, with rifles, mortars, hand grenades, flame-throwers...you name it.

The vehicles and weapons are elements of strategy which must be constantly juggled, and that's fun. Is your weapon short range (grenades) or long range (sniper rifle)? Is your vehicle fast and fragile (jeep) or slow and sturdy (tank)? You'll also want to plan your approaches, and your men can be split into smaller, separately controlled groups. It is especially handy to narrow control down to individuals at times, for that "duck - crouch - roll - aim - fire" kind of action. And keep an eye on those ammo levels, soldier.

World War places these battles on traditional countryside scenes, not the kitchen counters and other household scenes of previous games. No thrill for me. Just about everything else about World War is too much like every other title in the Army Men series. Even buyers of the original Army Men are bound to wonder why World War continues the curious Army Men tradition of offering few improvements to the franchise. Its 640x480 graphics are only passable, while its very narrow palette of sound effects make it sound more like an arcade game circa 1986. The pathfinding and enemy AI hearken back to the earliest days of real-time strategy gaming.

Back on the positive side, Army Men: World War earns points by providing a very helpful training level, entirely optional, that helps ease you into the basic controls of the game. And, its multiplayer game types and options feature a wealth of choices. None of which matters, of course, when you tire of the game.

Army Men World War: An explosive round of 'capture the flag.'

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Fairly dated and still not improving on their deficiencies after more than a few iterations, the Army Men games are a growing disappointment. PC game enthusiasts shopping for the best and the latest technology will probably not find much to enjoy in Army Men: World War. Players of previous Army Men titles will likely experience some extra soreness at the shrinking number of missions in this package. But if you're running some older hardware and can appreciate a battle game that's inexpensive and fairly "lite," World War has its charms. Overall grade: C.

The tan soldiers might win unless your trusty PC meets these minimum requirements: Pentium 90 (P133 recommended), Windows 95/98, 250 MB free hard disk space, 16 MB RAM (32 MB recommended), 4X speed CD-ROM drive, 1 MB SVGA DirectX 7.0a compatible (2 MB recommended) video card, any major DirectX 7.0a-compatible sound card, a keyboard, and a mouse. Multiplayer options include TCP/IP, IPX, modem-to-modem, or even direct serial connection. Note that the game may not run from some CD-RW and DVD drives.

Army Men: World War
[street: $19]
3DO
ESRB rating: Everyone ("E"), noting "animated violence"