GI Combat is a game that looks like it will finally bring war games into the modern era of computer gaming.  It is a game that breaks free from the shackles of hexagons, chits, and die rolls, and gives war gamers a beautiful 3D, real-time gaming experience - without sacrificing the authentic simulation that war gamers demand.  If you're a little concerned that GI Combat won't live up to expectations, it should ease your worries a bit to know that the designer behind the excellent Close Combat series is behind GI Combat.

We got the chance to take GI Combat out for a short test drive by playing an alpha build of the game.  The game is set in Normandy during D-Day and the battles which followed the invasion.  You can take command of US or German forces at the squad or single vehicle level.  Even though you give commands to squads, each and every soldier on the battlefield is individually tracked by the game.  A soldier's weapons, his morale and mental state, and his current physical health are all monitored by the game and have an impact on the squad's overall effectiveness.

Scenarios begin with the clock paused allowing you to survey the battlefield and give initial orders.  Once the action begins, the game proceeds in real-time, and you must manage your forces on the fly.  Double-clicking on any member of a squad displays the status of each soldier along the bottom of the screen and brings up the squad's orders menu.  You can order the squad to assault, advance normally, advance cautiously, defend, or fire at a designated target.  Specifying a target or destination is as easy as dragging the mouse from the squad to the desired location.  While dragging the mouse, a colored line provides you with feedback to let you know either the type of advance being ordered or the likelihood of the squad being able to effectively hit the designated target.  Once a target or destination is specified, the squad will attempt to carry out the order - assuming of course that they are in condition to do so.  Enemy fire and low morale will have an effect on your squad's desire and ability to follow orders.

Victory in a scenario is determined by the control of specified flags on the map which mark key objectives, and by the casualties inflicted and sustained during the battle.  After the scenario is complete, you'll be given a very comprehensive debriefing of the battle informing you of who won, the number of casualties, and the ramifications of the battle's result.  This last bit of information is quite important when playing the game in campaign mode.  You also have the ability to check the status and performance of every individual soldier and vehicle in the battle for both sides.

The game's graphics look great, even though we played an early alpha build.  You have complete control of the camera, and can move and rotate it in any direction.  The camera is also fully zoomable, allowing you to get a bird's eye view of the battle or letting you see the action from the same perspective as your soldiers.  The individual soldiers look very good, and wear authentic uniforms and carry authentic-looking weapons.  As for the vehicles, not only do they look terrific, they behave like real vehicles.  Give a tank an order to move, and you'll see it gearing up its diesel engine, building power until it lurches forward.

While not enabled in the version we played, the game will ship with a complete set of tutorial scenarios to help get you up to speed before facing live combat action.  Also, in addition to the scenarios and campaign, the game will feature multiplayer support over a LAN or the Internet.  The game will also ship with a full scenario editor.

Playing the game's one scenario demo was enough to really whet our appetite for the finished product.  If this early build of the game is any indication, GI Combat will be the best war game to come along in quite some time, and will be a leading candidate for the best war game of the year.