War Rock, as the name suggests, is the latest in war-games. The gameplay looks much like the old Delta Force and Battlefield. There are three types of battlefields spread over 20 different maps. The Close Quarters Combat packs up to 16 players into fast, in-your-face special modes. The short version is “pick a side and kill the other guy” while you capture outposts to be able to get closer to the main battle.

The gameplay consists of five different modes. Engineers repair and maintain vehicles in time for the next wave of attack. These guys are handy at fixing your battle-worn vehicles that are not destroyed so that they can continue to fight effectively. Medics provide the necessary first aid to help players live longer before meeting certain death. The heavy troopers, who can carry mines along with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers, also tend to be more effective when vehicles are running around. The two remaining classes, snipers and assault soldiers, are effective across all game modes, one providing accurate fire from long distances and the other capable of charging into battle with assault rifles.

All classes have a standard set of weapons and items. Generally, you’ll get a primary weapon, sidearm, grenade, bare fists, and a class-specific item. By competing in online matches, you’ll earn experience and earn War Rock’s form of currency, called Dinar. Eventually, you’ll be able to use Dinar in the game’s Item Shop to “lease” new, more powerful weaponry and items such as Desert Eagle, FAMAS, AWM Sniper Rifle, Winchester Shotgun and M134 Minigun.

On land you’ll get mounted machine guns and rockets, anti-air trucks, tanks, motorbikes, and a few boats for water travel. Fighter jets are easy to pilot in the air, and it won’t be long before you’ll find yourself handling even tricky helicopters.

War Rock is a free game if you choose to download it online, but you won’t be on equal footing with players who choose to pay an optional fee. The game gives players the choice of paying for Bronze, Silver, or Gold membership levels, each of which lasts 30 days.

Though War Rock’s shooting could have been more precise, the larger problem right now is frequent lagging. Problems continue with the game’s more advanced graphics options, such as motion blur, bloom glare and after-image. You need to have a very high-end machine/PC to run this game.

If you are already done with Battlefield and UT then War Rock is “the game” for you.

Minimum system requirements: Windows 2000, ME or XP, Pentium 3 — 800Mhz, 512MB RAM, Radeon 8500LE, GeForce MX400 or better 950MB HD Space, Broadband Internet Connection