Hidden & Dangerous for those that don't know is about the beginning of the SAS during world war 2, you control a four-man squad of soldiers. It is a 3rd person/1st person, tactical action game. The mix of both tactical action and strategy is a must use in Hidden & Dangerous, you can't just pop out and start shooting anything and everything in your way. Some missions you must use 100% strategy and some but very few you can just force your way through by spraying bullets all over the place.

The game has 23 missions in total spread over 6 campaigns set throughout Italy, Germany, Norway and many other countries. Mission objectives vary from rescuing hostages, to capturing german officers and from blowing up bridges, to stealing an enigma coding machine.

Once you start playing Hidden & Dangerous you are hooked straight away. This amazing game sucks you in and doesn't let go. When I first played Hidden & Dangerous I was use to 1st person shooters not 3rd/1st person tactical action games. So I tried to run out thinking I was the man shooter my gun only to suddenly realise I could only take 4 hits, not 104. There was also no extra health just laying around the place waiting to be picked up. You have to study the levels, guard patrol points and the general surroundings before you make your move to kill.

Detailed briefings before each mission as well as a in-game strategy map really make Hidden & Dangerous shine. The mission briefings show you what you have to do and give you tips on how to do it then in game you can use the strategic map to get the job done.

One of the most outstanding points about Hidden & Dangerous is the amazing level environments. The weather effects, the lighting and the sounds all work extremely well together to bring you an animated yet very realistic feel to the game. Hidden & Dangerous has one of the best gaming atmospheres I have ever played in. This is the main reason people get hooked by this game and continue to play it.

The AI in Hidden & Dangerous is a little dated compared to games today but is still very good. Some enemies when they spot you will stay in their current position and fire at you. Others will chase you down and make sure they get you good. When you fire at an enemy he will most probably duck down and try to avoid your fire then return with his own. Different soldiers have different weapons as well as different skills, so watch out!

The graphics in Hidden & Dangerous seem to have a style of their own. It's the most realistic looking game but that's a good thing because after all it's just a game. The game has a animated but realistic feel to it, I used the same definition before under gameplay. What I mean by 'animated but realistic feel' is that you can tell its of course a game but everything is done well that you know what it's suppose to be. Sure some of the levels and objects are a little bit blocky and maybe a bit basic in design but it all works well together.

From the classic start menu music to the Germans screaming "englander" at you. Hidden & Dangerous has by far some of the best sound effects I have heard. The best effects are the weather sound effects. Although some of the weapon sounds are a bit disappointing as well as some vehicle sounds but the environmental sounds just blow me away.

Well the summary is Hidden & Dangerous is a classic game. Still today in 2004, five years after the game was released still manages to score well in top 100 gaming lists all over the world. If you don't have a copy of this classic game I strongly suggest you get one. I agree this game isn't for everyone but those who grasp the gameplay will end up being a fanatic.