The player can also use the tactical mode to interact with non-player characters in the game. Occasionally, the inhabitants will have information or even a mission for the player, but if blasting your way through Diamond Coast appeals most to you, much of this interaction is optional.

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As the game progresses, troops are wounded and equipment starts to wear out, but when squads are not needed in battle, the team can heal and repair equipment. One nice concession to game play is that healing is pretty fast; a character can go from nearly dead to fully functional within a game day. Training is also possible to improve skills, but progress is slow.

Strategy is not the main focus of game play, but the big picture element cannot be ignored. Balancing the books to keep your happy band of mercs, well, happy, is an important part the game. Hire too many guns too early, and you will run out of money. Don’t hire enough mercs and you won’t be able to defeat the Dictator. As your mercs gain experience, they demand even more money. Fail to pay them daily and they leave. Fortunately, income derives from each controlled region, and the player can purchase improvements that increase revenue, like an office at the train station.

The Dictator does not sit idle; from time to time, he dispatches squads to counterattack and take back key regions of the map. The player can hire troops to hold these areas or send squads of mercenaries to play whack-a-mole with the interlopers.

When squads move into a new region where the Dictator has troops, a gunfight breaks out. These tactical fights are the meat of the game. Combat is turn-based, fun, and there is plenty of detail to please grognards.

The 3D tactical maps offer realistic environments that lend nicely to the immersion factor. Villages have destructible buildings and there are usually neutral civilians hiding or running around in terror. Sometimes, however, the map is so busy that it is difficult to find your troops, and the interface does not always help in these situations, as it is sometimes difficult to swing to the exact view you want, but these are very minor issues.

To start a battle, the player deploys on the map edge. Some maps are very large, and if the two sides have not spotted each other, the player does his initial maneuvering in real time. But once contact is made, the game changes to turn-based mode.

While most maps offer plenty of maneuver room, some are almost too small. The road to the airport is the best example. The Dictator has about two dozen troops on a small map of the road’s checkpoint. The player’s mercs are forced to start so close to the enemy that they are always spotted immediately. The inevitable stand-up gun-duel is more like the O.K. Corral than squad combat.

But combat in HG often feels more Hollywood than real anyway. A typical fight has lead flying all over but few hits. When a bullet does connect, damage is often low, and there are few killing shots; often, five or six hits are required to take a player or enemy soldier out of action. In terms of game-play, this is a good thing, however, since more lethality would certainly hurt HG fun factor.

While realism may be sketchy, the mechanics of combat are detailed enough for even the grognard to appreciate. During the player’s turn, each character has a certain number of action points, based on skills and wounds, which they use to go prone and crawl, reload, dig through a backpack, etc.

Firing also requires action points; more can be spent to aim or target specific body areas. Single shots or three-round bursts can be selected. Bursts are a good way to quickly put lead down range, but the recoil of some weapons sprays bullets all over.

Where a character is hit is often as important as how much damage is taken. A bad leg wound may force the character to crawl. An arm wound will affect shooting ability. After several rounds of combat, there are usually more than a few troops crawling and limping around the battlefield.

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