Attenzione!! (Battlefield 1942 - The Road to Rome (PC))

Member Name: Kepler

Product:	Battlefield 1942 - The Road to Rome (PC)
Date:	13/03/04 (163 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: New maps, vehicles and weapons, Excellent online play

Disadvantages: Single player is still a bit boring

?Battlefield 1942 - The Road to Rome? is the first expansion pack for the hugely popular World War II game ?Battlefield 1942?. As I have already reviewed ?Battlefield 1942? I will not give much information here concerning the game play, if you are unfamiliar with the Battlefield series then read my review of Battlefield 1942 first to understand what this game is about. This review is aimed at those who have already purchased Battlefield 1942 and know what to expect from the game. This expansion pack, as you have probably guessed by the title, takes the battle to Italy where the American forces fought against the Germans and the Italians for the first time in World War II. It also gives the player the opportunity to play as the Free French forces in the Battle of Monte Cassino and Monte Santa Croce where they must attack German held positions in Italy. There are 6 new maps available with this expansion pack each with different styles of play and game options:

Battle of Anzio - In this map the Allies are attacking an Italian encampment which is situated 35 miles up river from the port town of Anzio. The Allied troops have made an amphibious landing and have gained control of the town and the Italian army must defend their encampment from the advancing Allies.

Battle of Salerno - This battle takes place on hill south of the Italian town of Naples and just inland from the Gulf of Salerno. The fighting is situated around a central hill, around which the Allied forces (Americans) have just landed. The Allies must attack the German held positions and gain control of the hill.

Monte Cassino - This map brings the Free French forces into the war where they must attack a German fortress situated in a monastery that sits atop a steep hill. The Free French forces must ascend the steep terrain and penetrate the monastery defences all the while trying to avoid the oppressive fire from numerous stationary guns and the bombardment of many heavy tanks.



Monte Santa Croce - The Germans must defend a stronghold on top of an unforgiving mountain which the Free French forces must take control of. The terrain is harsh and steep and one wrong turn in either a jeep or tank can send you plummeting to your death.

Operation Baytown - This battle takes place in the Straits of Messina between Sicily and the southern tip of Italy. This battle marks the start of the invasion of Italy and the Allied troops face heavy fire from the encamped Italians.

Operation Husky - The British forces are advancing on Sicily for the first time, some dropping in by parachute, but most making their way to the beach via small landing craft which embark from a destroyer out at sea. Italian troops defend their ground fiercely with heavy anti-tank and machine gun fire.


The six new maps offer balanced game play with either side being able to ultimately achieve victory, so whichever side you choose to play on you know that you have some chance of achieving the goals set out at the start. The Monte Cassino map is a particular favourite of mine as it is very challenging when you play as the Free French forces. The Germans have a lot of firepower at their disposal and climbing that hill is no mean feat. Operation Husky is also a very good map and if you play as the Allies it is probably the hardest map to win on (online and in single player mode). As well as new maps this expansion pack also provides 8 new vehicles for you to pummel your enemies with.

The new vehicles available to the Axis troops are:

German Stermgeschutz - Designed for infantry support, the SturmGeschutz boasts a 75mm gun offset to the right, while a vision port set in the left of the vehicle and twin periscopes allow the driver and the gunner to operate the tank.

Italian M11/39 Carro Armato - Designed as a breakthrough tank, the M11-39 entered service in 1939 as Italy?s most modern tank. It has a hull-mounted 37mm gun a
nd is
very manoeuvrable. Its only shortcoming is its thin armour, which is easily penetrated by enemy tanks.

German AT gun PAK 75 - This is a stationary but powerful anti-tank artillery gun fitted with a 75mm (2.95 in.) cannon, capable of penetrating the thickest tank armour.

German BF 110 - Powered by two 1,100hp engines, the Messerschmitt BF 110 serves as a multipurpose aircraft. It is a long-range escort fighter-bomber used for reconnaissance, ground attack, and night fighter roles throughout the Second World War.

The Italian infantry also carry a new weapon the Breda Modello 30 machine gun.


The new vehicles available to the Allies are:

M3 Grant - The M3 is a medium tank which boasts two main guns, a 37mm in the turret and a 75mm mounted on the front of the tank. Very useful against infantry where its twin guns make light work of advancing troops.

M3 GMC - This vehicle is a variation on the M3 half-track used for troop transport and is an effective anti-tank weapon. Modification of the half-track included the addition of a 75mm anti tank gun mounted in the back where troops were formerly were carried.

British At gun 25 Pdr - This is a stationary howitzer type gun capable of firing 25 pound shells at a rate of 12 per minute. This weapon is useful for pounding heavily entrenched enemy positions where conventional guns are useless.

British Mosquito - This light weight aircraft boasts excellent speed, altitude, and range. Primarily used as a fighter but it is also capable of dropping a substantial payload on enemy positions.

The British infantry are also equipped with a new gun the Sten MG machine gun.


The expansion pack also offers some updates to the multiplayer game with the addition of a filter, which allows you to more accurately search for games online. The filter enables you to search for just ?Road to Rome? games rather than having to trawl through all the
games ava
ilable which saves you a bit of time. The filter also gives you the option to search for specific maps so if you want to play Operation Husky then you can use the search box to find the available games playing the Operation Husky map. Its not exactly an award winning feature but useful nonetheless.

Overall I would say that this expansion pack is a must for all Battlefield 1942 fans, if you enjoyed Battlefield 1942 then you will definitely enjoy this. This expansion pack serves up more of the same addictive play, the type of game play which has made this one of the most popular online games of all time.

Minimum specifications

Operating System - Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
Processor - 500 MHz
Memory - 128MB RAM (I recommend at least 256MB)
Hard Drive - 400 MB
CD/DVD - 4 Speed
Graphics - 32MB PCI/AGP (With Direct 3D support and Hardware Transform and Lighting)


This game is available from www.amazon.co.uk priced £16.99 or it is available as a double set packaged with the original game for £25.99.

*NOTE* You need to own Battlefield 1942 to play this expansion pack.

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