I never thought this Amiga classic made it to the PC, but obviously it did. The conversion was done by Astros Productions... so keep your expectations low. For those who are not familiar with the Amiga original, The Lost Patrol is a classic hybrid game with action, adventure and RPG elements. After a helicopter crashes in the middle of Vietnam, you have to lead the seven surviving soldiers into freedom, across 58 miles packed with Vietcong soldiers, camps, and the most feared booby traps. Gameplay combines the elements from many genres, and in many respects is closer to a "simulation" than a standard strategy game due to a strong emphasis on realism (for example, you must pay attention to your troops' fatigue level, and there is a variety of Vietnam-war weapons in the game, including some infamous explosives). The PC conversion of the great Amiga game just shows again how important music and sound effects are for creating a decent atmosphere. As both are missing, the PC game is only half the fun – if any. Also, for some reason mouse support has been left out. The game supports VGA, but the graphics conversion was done poorly as it only uses 16 colors instead of the 32 found in the original. Other than that, it's a somewhat acceptable version of a still interesting and unique game – but with the best things missing. Reviewed by: Rob |