Nova Logic's famous Comanche series is back, and better than ever. When you buy Werewolf vs. Comanche, you get two seperate CD's, with two seperate games -- an updated version of the original Comanche, as well as the new Werewolf. The "new" version of Comanche (2.0) is almost identical to the original, except for improved terrain graphics, and some great new cinema displays after a mission. Werewolf is also very mindful of the original Comanche, however, it has a far different helicopter feel. If you don't have any friends, these are the only additions that will be of any real note. However, for any true gaming fanatic, this game comes storming in with an up to 8 player network link capability! The even better part is that if you want to play a 2-player modem game with someone, only one of you needs to buy the game. Since Werewolf and Comanche come on seperate CD's you can each take your helicopter of choice (as long as one is the Comanche, the other the Werewolf), and battle to the death. For a real war, scrap the modems, and bring this to the office -- and make use of those Pentium's you told your boss that you needed. With 2 copies of Werewolf vs. Comanche, 4 office buddies can get together to clean the skies. The network play is smooth, and exhilirating. This is the best multi-player release since the infamous Doom. There is nothing quite as fun as hiding in a river bed waiting to crest the hill with a full weapon load as your unsuspecting friend chases another 'copter.
Any seasoned Comanche veteran will remember the hoops that you had to go through to get that beast to run. Luckily, Comanche vs. Werewolf is slightly more forgiving. It will now run under most standard memory managers, although it would not run properly under OS/2, or a Window95 dos box. The manual and readme files provide no additional information on other platforms.
Hardware requirements are fairly basic, a 386 (486 Strongly recommended), 8MB ram, and a solid 2x CD-Rom drive are all you need to get rolling. A very modest 2MB is all Comanche asks for on your Hard Disk, although a 12MB install is recomended. 2-player network games will work over a serial line, a parallel cable, or a modem. Network play (up to 8-players) requires any IPX compatible network (ie. Novell). Werewolf vs. Comanche worked on all of our dos test machines without any problems, or memory configuration changes needed. We were unsuccessful at getting it to run on any operating system while not in MS-DOS mode.
If Werewolf were sold as a stand-alone package, it would receive only marginal marks. However, when Novalogic decided to package the classic Comanche, as well as a the new Werewolf together -- and add network play they gave themselves another sure winner. Although much of the original Comanche gameplay is identical, seasoned pros will enjoy the Werewolf CD for standalone play. Once you find a friend of an equal skill level as you (or in my case several friends willing to team up and blow me out of the sky) the network fun is non-stop. This game earns a "highly recommended" from Ferrari Man's corner.
Graphics : 21/25
Solid graphics, great terrain -- the original Comanche included could have used a little more scenery additions.
Gameplay : 22/25
The gameplay that made the original Comanche infamous is back, and the control of the new Werewolf, although different in style, is as solid as the first. Network play still zips along without a major speed loss.
Longetivity : 22/25
The better you get, the better your friends get. With a network game, longetivity scores are usually high. The only drawback is that seasoned Comanche pilots have already completed the first single player CD before they even get the game.
Compatibility : 18/25
Although the Dos compatibility is light years above the first Comanche, the days of Dos are numbered. Simple compatibility with OS/2, and possibily Windows95's Dos-box would have helped out here allot.
Graphics : 21/25