If you ask an average gamer to explain the focus of real-time strategy games youll probably be told that the two most important elements are resource management and building a better combat force than your foe. With few exceptions, thats been the rule ever since Westwoods Dune II. What most people dont realize is that the real-time strategy game goes as far back as the original home computers. Combat Leader and NATO Commander were both golden age real-time games, focusing on managing troops in real time without concerning themselves with resource gathering. Real time creates a realistic situation where you must assess and react to threats instantaneously, a perfect setting for tactical simulations. It causes you to be proactive and to be constantly thinking, which is exactly what Sierras SWAT 2 aims for, and, sometimes, it hits the mark. For the most part, though, SWAT 2 simply shoots itself in the foot.
