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This is the best of the three desert war games reviewed this month. Written by R. T. Smith, it has the same graphics style and extremely straightforward playing mechanism as his earlier Arnhem. But, as the author says, it is far from being just "Arnhem in yellow" and is in some ways a better game.

Desert Rats' choice of battle sadly misses out O'Connor and starts with Rommel's first appearance in March 1941. It then offers the short, doomed, Battleaxe offensive (a good way to learn the game), Crusader, and Gazela. Oddly, it then jumps to Second Alamein, although its scale and mechanisms are not really suitable for this battle.

Intelligence is limited to showing the position of enemy units, but not their composition, but completely hidden movement is not possible. The order-then-move system makes this a very good two player game, but as an opponent this program isn't even Montgomery. It defends well but is vulnerable to encirclement and will not initiate attacks. The British can win at Gazala, for instance, by doing absolutely nothing!

What makes this game outstanding is an extremely realistic command and control system, which does not prevent stupid actions but simply serves the player up with their result. Orders can be given to a division either as a body, or broken down into brigades and regiments, so both concentration and dispersion are possible. But anyone who disperses his forces too much will find them being over-run. Similarly, failure to keep the elements of one Corps together in a reasonable way results in their running out of supplies at embarrassing moments.

Desert Rats gives a real command-in-chief's view of the desert war. It comes highly recommended by the Royal Tank Regiment. And by me, as well.