At Home: U-boat game detailed, accurate
History lesson gives real depth to U-boat game
World War II submarine warfare detailed, accurate
By DWIGHT N. ODELIUS
For The Chronicle
The best part about any really great PC simulation game is that it's as much a learning experience as it is fun to play.
The latest entry in the excellent Silent Hunter PC game series, Silent Hunter III, is not only a thrilling game but also provides extraordinary insight into the history and legacy of the German Kriegsmarine Unterseeboot, or U-boat.
While flatly primitive next to the modern submarine, the U-boat was a technological marvel of its time. The first
U-boat launched in 1906 and saw combat in World War I, but it truly came into its own as a deadly menace in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II.
Silent Hunter III simulates naval warfare during World War II with a dozen-odd playable U-boat models and scores of realistic ships and planes of all nationalities. The U-boat's 3-D interiors are authentic right down to the scruffy-looking crewmen who man each station.
The sub has a full complement of personnel, from the lowly seaman to the executive officers who manage everything from navigation to radio communications. Each can be assigned to ship locations and duties at will, and can suffer fatigue, damage and morale loss if not relieved occasionally.
The game centers on a career mode, in which players start out as a rookie U-boat commander and earn renown for their achievements. Such renown can be used to upgrade to better ships, equipment and crew. The game also includes single-player historical scenarios, and a multiplayer mode for cooperative missions.
Most of the U-boat models sport naval guns and antiaircraft flak cannons, but these are primarily defensive measures. The U-boat's true strength is the stealthy torpedo attack, made from under water or under the cover of night. A couple of well-placed torpedo shots can take out even the largest vessel.
Torpedos are a tricky business, requiring a firing solution that depends on accurate data gathered about the target. Sim die-hards can choose to take matters into their own hands for this, but most players will prefer to let their crew handle the particulars. Either way, the result is a spectacular display of movie-quality destruction.
RESOURCES
SPECS
• What: Silent Hunter III
• Price: $39.99
• Rating: Teen
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: • OS: Windows 2000/XP
• CPU: 1.4 GHz
• RAM: 512 MB
• Video: 64MB DirectX 9
• Sound: DirectX 9
• Disk: 1.5 GB
• DVD-ROM: 4x
Requires broadband Internet connection for multiplayer
HoustonChronicle.com - At Home: U-boat game detailed, accurate
World War II submarine warfare detailed, accurate
By DWIGHT N. ODELIUS
For The Chronicle
The best part about any really great PC simulation game is that it's as much a learning experience as it is fun to play.
The latest entry in the excellent Silent Hunter PC game series, Silent Hunter III, is not only a thrilling game but also provides extraordinary insight into the history and legacy of the German Kriegsmarine Unterseeboot, or U-boat.
While flatly primitive next to the modern submarine, the U-boat was a technological marvel of its time. The first
U-boat launched in 1906 and saw combat in World War I, but it truly came into its own as a deadly menace in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II.
Silent Hunter III simulates naval warfare during World War II with a dozen-odd playable U-boat models and scores of realistic ships and planes of all nationalities. The U-boat's 3-D interiors are authentic right down to the scruffy-looking crewmen who man each station.
The sub has a full complement of personnel, from the lowly seaman to the executive officers who manage everything from navigation to radio communications. Each can be assigned to ship locations and duties at will, and can suffer fatigue, damage and morale loss if not relieved occasionally.
The game centers on a career mode, in which players start out as a rookie U-boat commander and earn renown for their achievements. Such renown can be used to upgrade to better ships, equipment and crew. The game also includes single-player historical scenarios, and a multiplayer mode for cooperative missions.
Most of the U-boat models sport naval guns and antiaircraft flak cannons, but these are primarily defensive measures. The U-boat's true strength is the stealthy torpedo attack, made from under water or under the cover of night. A couple of well-placed torpedo shots can take out even the largest vessel.
Torpedos are a tricky business, requiring a firing solution that depends on accurate data gathered about the target. Sim die-hards can choose to take matters into their own hands for this, but most players will prefer to let their crew handle the particulars. Either way, the result is a spectacular display of movie-quality destruction.
RESOURCES
SPECS
• What: Silent Hunter III
• Price: $39.99
• Rating: Teen
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: • OS: Windows 2000/XP
• CPU: 1.4 GHz
• RAM: 512 MB
• Video: 64MB DirectX 9
• Sound: DirectX 9
• Disk: 1.5 GB
• DVD-ROM: 4x
Requires broadband Internet connection for multiplayer
HoustonChronicle.com - At Home: U-boat game detailed, accurate
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