Medal of Honor: European Assault (PlayStation 2)

MEDAL OF HONOR: EUROPEAN ASSAULT focuses on an agent of the Office of Strategic Services, the Naval division that would become the CIA. Players fight their way through the battlefields of the European Theater -- France, North Africa, Russia and Belgium -- undermining German defenses and collecting intelligence on the enemy's new weapons systems. Players also lead a three-man squad to help get the job done, directing them to take cover, engage the enemy, or retreat as the situation demands.

Enemies are more intelligent than in the previous game in this series: They seek cover, use grenades to force players out into the open, and change positions to get a better shot. Expansive level design allows players to get creative in the way they advance toward their goals. Secondary mission objectives give players some stuff to do besides fight their way to the finish line.

This game is on par with the industry's standard approach to WWII shooters: Allow players to kill plenty of enemies, but don't call undue attention to their deaths. Bodies evaporate, leaving only ammo and health power-ups as a memorial. Parents should take some solace in the game's intellectual demands. European Assault moves at a more methodical pace, preventing players from mindlessly rushing enemy positions and rewarding thoughtful, strategic progress.

The game, however, suffers from some problems. Your squad members will stand in the open until enemy fire turns them into a lifeless heap. EA also eliminated mid-level save points, so if you die at an inopportune time, you will have to start over from the beginning of a level. The European setting is dreary and monochromatic, unlike the colorful jungle settings in Rising Sun, and the art direction of EA does nothing to liven it up.