Some handy robot elements are protected by force fields that can only be deactivated by operating the switch with a veteran unit

DMA, the Scottish geniuses behind Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings, present another puzzle game. The puzzle is why it's such a disappointment.
Steve Owen

Tanktics. It's a play on words. It suggests tanks, and it suggests tactics. Which is generally what DMA wanted to propound. But despite the idea (which must have looked great on paper) Tanktics really isn't up there with Lemmings and GTA.

In a similar manner to Eidos' Commandos, the potential has left the building after being introduced to the control system, a stubborn and unique attempt to revolutionise the genre.

Rather than use a cursor to move around the landscape, select items and make commands, you control something more literal. Initially, for the prehistoric levels, it's a pterodactyl, who flies around the screen under the direct influence of your mouse movements. It remains at a fixed height above the isometric landscape, casting a shadow to show what's directly below the flight path. You can then interact with the characters and objects that litter the landscape with the left and right mouse buttons.

The scope of the game is initially quite overwhelming, but a bit of analysis concludes that it isn't quite as complex as it seems at first. Essentially, over a period of 24 levels, it's up to you to destroy a series of receivers and any enemy tanks in the vicinity. Destroying the receivers prevents any further enemy tanks beaming in, which they tend to do every few minutes.

Your defences are a series of tank parts, consisting of tracks (different types are suitable for different terrain), engine blocks (more can be added for greater speed), guns (of which there are several types) and a radar (used as the brain for the vehicle).