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The expanse of land dotted with rubble is quite still, save for a distant clanking which soon becomes a crescendo of straining gears, of giant treads crushing rocks into dirt.

These are the pride of Germany's armoured force - the dreaded Panthers.

This is the way SSI gets you into the mood to play Kampfgruppe, a tactical wargame simulating tank warfare on the Eastern Front. Spanning the years 1941-45, it puts you in command of either a German or Russian battle group.

Available only on disc, you load it by removing all cartridges from old Atari micros, or holding down the Option key and switching on with your game disc in drive one. Once loaded, you choose what game you want from the options menu and away you go.

Your commands to your motorised units are sent via a status window at the bottom of the screen.

The action is split into several phases and you will have to read the manual carefully before you can understand their operation fully.

All gameplay takes place on a full colour map. This is composed of a 60 by 60 grid, of which 20 by 10 squares may be viewed at one time. By pressing keys 1 to 8 you can move your cursor around the map.

When this cursor highlights an armoured unit a description of it will be displayed in the status window.

You have a quick reference chart to identify the terrain and units. I found it useful to place sticky backed plastic around it to stop it getting dog-eared.

Many historical scenarios are detailed within the booklet supplied, and as with all SSI products, it is very well written.

At the end of it is a short story about Ivan and the Valkyries.

This makes for very interesting reading and adds a feeling of reality to the packaging.

Kampfgruppe is an excellent tactical simulation and will provide many interesting hours of enjoyment as you re-enact momentous battles from WWII.