Dive Dive Dive (Silent Hunter 2 (PC))

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Silent Hunter 2 (PC)
Date:	12/03/03 (488 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Detailed

Disadvantages: Boring quickly, Difficult

Ok, so I have not written in over a month. Did not think I had forgotten you did you?
Well its about time I wrote and shared my views and thoughts on a very odd game for the PC.
Silent Hunter 2.
AS its name suggests, silent hunter is a stealth like game that comes along from the genre of World War 2 action/sim games. While we have had many games simulating various missions or Allied Victory, it is now time to turn our attention to the other side in the War. The Germans!
Yes, this is all about the running and operation of a german U-boat during the war and the hunting of allied ships in various waters.
To me, this is like dressing up as a woman and going out to pull men on a Saturday night. After all, do we really want to re-enact the destruction of our own ships during the war?
Anyway, once you navigate the moral dilema of destroying your grandad on HMS Whateveryoulike, you soon realise there it will take more than finding his boat and slamming 2 torpedos into the side.

Firstly, dont mistake this game for high action packed/beat em up style gaming. Its not. It is a simulator. A very realistic one at that but still a simulator. This means there are many hours spend drifting around the north sea in a Steel tube with nothing to look at other than Hans And Herman playing with gauges. (you dont actually get to see Herman ansd Hans though!)
Still with this spare time on your hands (it runs in real time you see) you can spend some of it mastering the amount of screens you will need to look at during combat and general sailing.
One bad point this. There are too many different screens to look at.
There are a few navigation screens plus various external viewpoints to keep your eyes on. Add to this the weapons,sonar,radar,radio and general views then you are adding up to a complicated game.
Sound is quite basic. This is limited to instructions and orders for the crew and warnings from the various positions. You get told when you
have taken damage and fired weapons and your proximity to the bottom. All in a bad german Accent. The crewmember that says "set Periscope depth" sounds like Bert and Ernie from the Sesame Street.

Gameplay, as I said, is very long and boring. There are long periods of time when nothing happens. This means you can either speed up your gameplay with the time accerator or sit back and fall asleep.
Even when action does approach, the combat is normally very difficult. Tracking these ships undetectd and being able to sink thme takes some practice as prescision is everything. More often that not, you can play the game for hours and end up destroyed after one ship encounter. Not the most rewarding experience for your patience.

Control of the game interface is all driven via the mouse but there is a whole array of keyboard shortcuts too. If you want to learn them, you are mad but the instruction booklet left open on the correct page is a must.

Reccommended to???
Only the most dedicated of sim enthusiasts or people with a Submarine fetish. Its slow, boring and difficult to master. If you want to waste your time, do it painting my lounge.

Summary: