Command & Conquer: Special Gold Edition (Windows)

Command & Conquer Gold

Note - this overview is an attempt to inform fans of Command & Conquer about additions to ***Command & Conquer Gold ***over the original, and not a review of the actual game itself. If you are new to the ***Command & Conquer ***series, and would like to learn more about the game, take a look at Tim Chown's review of the original game.

After achieving huge success on the PC, the original ***Command & Conquer ***from Westwood Studios has gone on to do well on every other format that it has released on. Westwood have now decided to update the original DOS version in a number of ways, and in doing so have released a deluxe version of the original in Command & Conquer Gold.

Midas Touch

Command & Conquer Gold (Windows 95 only), keeps all of the excellent gameplay of the original, but adds several new features to make the game more appealing to newcomers and fans of the original. The main difference between this and the original version are the graphics. The original DOS version featured fairly detailed graphics, although players at the time would have preferred them to have been SVGA. That problem has now been addressed, with Westwood adding some superbly detailed SVGA graphics (very much like those featured in Red Alert). These changes are not just for aesthetic purposes alone (although they do give the game a far more defined look), as they give the player a far greater view of the battlefield (four times greater in fact). No longer do enemies just appear from the corner of your screen, you can now see their activity from quite a distance away. The construction bar has also been graphically enhanced, now featuring rendered icons.

Command & Conquer Gold also features advanced connectivity, and includes the latest version of Westwood Chat, which allows players all over the world to compete. A new Internet Head-to-Head option has also been included (also accessible through Westwood Chat).

Also included on the CD is a Command and Conquer theme pack for Windows 95, which gives you animated icons, wallpaper and sound effects in three different themes (GDI, Brotherhood of Nod, EVA), allowing you to customise your desktop in true Command & Conquer style. Command & Conquer Gold is also compatible with DOS version of Command & Conquer, as well as the Covert Operations add-on disk.

Head-to-Head

Command & Conquer Gold is certainly a highly polished product, and would be an excellent purchase for somebody new to the series. Although the aesthetic differences and the Internet Head-to-Head play make a difference, I can't really see owners of the original game splashing out for a game that they already own (although Westwood are offering a £10 rebate to owners of the original).

Review By GamesDomain