Battle Bugs

The Good
This game kind of took me by surprise the first time I played it. After all, it's a real-time tactical strategy game released in 1994 with a fun, cartoony feel to it. It's pretty involved as far as the interface and the depth of gameplay go, but it is approachable and never takes itself too seriously.

The game features good graphics for 1994 - which I believe is due to the fact that it's in a higher resolution than 320x200 (yet still runs in DOS). I'm not quite sure, but it could be in 640x480. Either way, the graphics are smooth, sharp, and colorful.

The sound and music are also excellent. The bugs' voices are appropriately high-pitched, and the briefing voiceovers are very well-done. The music, however, is really outstanding. The music selection ranges from catchy, jazzy numbers to more inspiring war themes. Truly an excellent use of conventional MIDI.

Finally, the game is funny as hell. Most of the humor lies in the product satires seen throughout the game. Since the game is in a very domestic setting, there are many opportunities for humor involving household products and brand names. True, some are just lame puns (Sony becomes Phony, and Cheerios become Uh-Ohs), but others are quite clever (my personal favorite is No Entiendeo, which is a play on Nintendo).

If you ever see this on ebay or in some bargain bin somewhere, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

The Bad
The game is a bit too challenging in some spots. I never actually beat all the missions. The are 30 some-odd missions available, and I could only complete about 15 of them.

The Bottom Line
It's addictive, funny, and most importantly it's fun. Battle Bugs belongs in any strategy fan's collection.