"When it comes to PC games, the strategy genre is about
one of the oldest out there, next to the text based adventure.
Through the years, two distinct divisions have emerged; real time
and turn based. As more games emerged in each division, the push
for more detail and realism is what set apart the bargain bin
titles from the "must haves". In July of 1999, Sirtech released
Jagged Alliance 2 which became one of those "must have" titles. The
award winning game has now been ported to the Linux platform by
Tribsoft, backed by publisher Titan Computer.
Jagged Alliance 2, [JA2], is a turned based strategy taking
place in the fictitious country of Arulco. The goal is to liberate
Arulco from the clutches of a "driven bitch" of a dictator. While
the country isn't real, JA2 strives for realism in most all other
aspects. If one prefers a more sci-fi game play style, that option
is available. Also selectable are difficulty levels, amount of
weapons and some extra difficulty options. By using a nonlinear
game play style, the player is allowed to think through the game
and move at a personally comfortable pace. Included are over 150
characters and mercenaries with unique looks are personalities.
These extra give JA2 a high level of repeat playability and
depth.
When one purchases JA2, they get a DVD style case, two CDs, and
a ~50 page manual to go along with it. Two CDs? Yes. Tribsoft
decided to go with the dual set, one for installation and the other
for data. Interestingly, they also decided on the dreaded "must
have CD inserted" method of anti-piracy instead of a CD key [see
the Tribsoft forums to alleviate this]. The manual is quite helpful
and even walks one through the start of the mission. For newbies,
the manual is one thing not to lose as it is a great reference in
times of need."
