Brothers in Arms: D-Day

June 6th 1944. It's a date that will be remembered for a long time by Europeans and American Allies alike. D-Day - or Operation Overlord - was that decisive and fiercely committed push that finally brought an end to the conflict that had all but shattered Europe over the preceding five years. 500 naval vessels, 2,500 other ships and 3,000 landing craft began to pour out of the ports of the English south coast. But these were not the first troops to commence the assault on occupied Normandy. 13,000 aircraft supported the attack, and on the evening of June 5th, 822 planes, carrying paratroopers or towing gliders, set off across the English Channel. The men that they dropped were paratroops of the British 6th Airborne Division, and of the American 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, and it is these brave men that formed the vanguard of the Allied invasion.

Recent years and advances in technology have seen many attempts to re-enact these scenes, most notably the Steven Spielberg film Saving Private Ryan, and Electronic Arts' Medal of Honour: Allied Assault. Ubisoft's 2006 re-telling comes in the form of D-Day, a tactical first-person shooter and the latest instalment in the Brothers in Arms series. Developed by Gearbox Software LLC, the game puts you in the waterlogged boots of Sergeant Baker and Corporal Hartsock, who command small teams in different areas of the invasion.

D-Day takes the maps from Road to Hill 30 and bundles them together for an experience specifically tailored to the PSP. For veterans of the franchise, there are four additional maps thrown in to create a very respectable number of scenarios. The gameplay has been customised carefully for the PSP, with the control system adapted for the handheld and an increased number of checkpoints for gaming on the go.

What really distinguishes Brothers in Arms: D-Day from its rivals, however, is the level of tactical involvement. You command a group of AI soldiers, and teamwork will be crucial to defeating the enemy. You can use the situation awareness view to take a birds-eye look at the battlefield and perform flanking and pincer movements to outface your enemy, making this more than just your standard shooter.

The title also features a co-op skirmish mode played using the wireless connection. Players can make their way though twelve different missions in four different modes.

If you want portable, brutal and historically accurate warfare, this is your game.