Silent Hunter 2 Review

Sub control is very complicated, but the beginners can always choose to use the map. Many submarine fans will consider this cheating, but without this option (which acts as a GPS), you will simply have to see what difficulties the sailors faced in navigating their sub during the WWII. This map is accessible through the Plot option, and it will show your sub and the direction it is moving in, enemy, allied and neutral ships, harbors, and mission goals. The Helm & Gauges control let you determine the angle and direction, depth and speed. When you are on the surface, you will also be able to access the Bridge and UZO. You can open side panels with additional controls at any time. For instance, If you are on the command bridge, you can open a side panel for torpedo control. This system makes combat far easier.

Most of the campaign missions come down to: explore the area and destroy as much as you can. You will receive points according to the weight of the vessel you sank (the heavier it is, the more likely it is that it is dangerous). All missions are pre-scripted, so if you miss a target, you can go back and repeat the mission over and over again. If you set the game to play 100% realistic, you will have a hard time finding your way around the deep seas. The campaign covers practically the entire WWII and presents numerous events based on historical scenarios; from sinking the puny Polish fleet at the very beginning of the war to the attack on Norway and sinking ships near the US coast at the end of the war.

The game ships with an editor for making your own missions, and several fictional scenarios for you to try out: submarine against a destroyer, sub against sub, etc. You can also set the time of day and weather conditions, but single missions are more of a training ground than something that would provide good replay value.

The developers also announced the Destroyer Command, which should merge with the Silent Hunter and provide an ultimate sim. multiplayer experience. But until Destroyer Command appears, players can but stick to the overly difficult campaign and ridiculously simple scenarios.

Navigation and seeking are major elements of Silent Hunter II gameplay, so if you are an avid FPS or RTS fan, you might be severely annoyed by the several hour long goal seeking, in spite of the excellent time-compression system included in the game. Silent Hunter II could satisfy an average player who is in for some experimenting, but it was primarily meant for the Hard-core sim fans.