This frustration is caused by the fact that the fog often makes it difficult to spot enemy soldiers, but they apparently do not suffer the same problem.  There will be many times when your squad suddenly comes under enemy fire and you won't be able to see anyone shooting at you.  What makes this worse is that the enemy soldiers are pretty good shots and they can make quick work of your squad while you are scrambling to even determine from which direction the fire is coming from.

The AI in Deadly Dozen is inconsistent - sometimes it is quite good and others unrealistic or frustrating.  Take the enemy soldiers, for example.  They go about their patrols and react to your presence in a realistic manner.  They'll look for cover, drop low, and jockey for a good firing position against you.  On the other hand, you'll sometimes shoot a guard with a sniper rifle without raising the suspicions of another soldier on the other side of the street.  Your squad also follows this same sort of inconsistent pattern.  Sometimes when you come under fire they will methodically mow down the enemy.  Other times they won't really react at all and will get in your way as you try to seek cover.  Nothing is as frustrating as a squad buddy who won't step aside as your back is being filled with hot lead.

Though you'll primarily face enemy infantry, Deadly Dozen will pit you against the occasional enemy vehicle, including armor.  You can arm your squad with bazookas, which can usually take care of the armor within three or four hits.  However, the time it takes to score those hits will be quite tense as you feel the armored behemoth bearing down on your squad.  

You'll also be able to man vehicles yourself.  Driving is a simple move forward and steer affair, but it can be pretty exciting to go bouncing down a narrow French street at full speed while under fire.  It is also strangely satisfying to drive down jack-booted Nazi foot soldiers at the wheel of a Kubelwagon.  In addition to the Kubelwagon, most enemy weapons in the game can be captured and put to use against their makers.  For example, if you capture a machine gun nest, you can swing the gun around to take out any remaining defenders.

Deadly Dozen is far from perfect, but it often provides some intense action.  The missions are large and atmospheric, and, if you can put up with its quirks and annoyances, you'll find yourself having a good deal of fun with it.  If you're looking to expand your game library and are a little reluctant to plop down $40-$50 to do so, then you should absolutely give Deadly Dozen a look.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 70%. It might not be at the same level as the top games in the genre, but Deadly Dozen does deliver a pretty decent little game for half the price.

System Requirements:  300 MHz Pentium II CPU; 64 MB RAM; 8 MB Video RAM; 8x CD-ROM; 500 MB Hard Drive Space; Mouse.

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