The Basics:
Platform: PC
Developer: EA Games
Price: $40
ESRB rating: T (Teen)

Summary: Battlefield Vietnam is a first person shooting game, situating the player in battles roughly based on actual battles during the Vietnam War. Players use a variety of weapons and vehicles to fight as part of a team against the opposing side. Players can choose from among several different roles, and has the option of joining American, South Vietnamese or North Vietnamese forces.

Note: This game has both positive and negative aspects. Negatively, as a first person shooter, there is a significant amount of glorified and dramatized violence. Positively, the game provides opportunities for younger players to learn about the Vietnam War, an important event in American history.

Further Breakdown:

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Best for ages: 13+
Playability: Relatively easy controls, significant replay value
Graphics: Requires a high-end system for maximum potential
Entertainment value: Significant replay ability. Lack of single-player campaigns
Educational value: Some. Historical information about the war and the era
Reading Level: 6+ to play 8+ for historical information.
KidScore Rating

Ages 3-7: Red
Ages 8-12: Red
Ages 13-17: Yellow
Violence Amount: Red
Fear: Red
Illegal/harmful: Green
Language: Green
Nudity: Green
Sex: Green

Review:
The jungle is lush and calm as the sun sets on a beautiful day. Crouched low, you can hear the quiet sounds of wildlife as evening sets in. But this is no peaceful vacation. Seconds later you hear bullets zing just overhead. A sniper is on to you. In panic you look around, and in desperation you unload half a clip from your M-16 in what you think is the general direction of the sniper. The situation seems hopeless as you spot enemy reinforcements approaching in a BMP troop carrier. Machine gun fire splatters the ground in front of you. Suddenly you hear the chop, chop of a friendly 'copter. A Bell UH-1 pops over the trees, launching rockets at the BMP. Seconds later it hovers next to you, offering a chance at escape. Leaping in, you hear explosions as the enemy BMP turns into a fireball of twisted metal. You have lived for another minute, and in this game that seems like a lifetime. Welcome to Battlefield Vietnam, a first-person chance to experience the Vietnam War.

Following in the footsteps of its prequel, Battlefield 1942, Battlefield Vietnam puts you in the midst of all-out warfare. Don the uniform of either U.S., South Vietnamese or North Vietnamese forces, choose out of four "classes" of troops, each with different weapon and equipment combinations, and fight through some of the major and minor battles of the Vietnam War.

The game offers further variety than most first-person shooter types of games. The game's environment is very interactive, as you can use booby traps, gun emplacements and natural cover to your advantage. However, one of the most "fun" aspects of the game is its use of vehicles. Run up to a jeep, tank, helicopter or boat, and with a simple press of a button, you flying or driving your way into the battle. Vehicles are designed with multi-player action in mind, with most have spots for additional players to be gunners, or at least catch a ride into the battle. Despite the number of vehicles and options, the controls are relatively easy to master. Flying a helicopter or jet takes some practice, but doesn't require you to be a flight simulator pro. The rest of the game follows along basic first person shooting type controls with the use of the keyboard and mouse.

On a gameplaying level, Battlefield Vietnam isn't designed to run on dad's accounting machine. To run the game at with the graphics levels it deserves, a near top-of-the line computer is required. Despite the high system requirements, the game's artificial intelligence or AI players are anything but intelligent. AI players have particular difficulty flying or driving vehicles. It is not an uncommon sight to see a helicopter with an AI pilot flying backwards, and eventually upside down-promptly crashing and killing everyone involved. Other times you will see AI characters simply sitting in a jeep or vehicle, confused as to know what to do next. This emphasizes that the game is designed for multi-player support over a network or the Internet with human players.

A positive highlight of the game is the infusion of miniature "history lessons" into the game. The extraordinary long load times are put to good use by illustrating various points of interest about the War. For example, the "media revolution" is discussed; emphasizing how television correspondence slowly transformed the "once heroic and romantic views of war". The differences between communism and capitalism are discussed, the types of equipment used on each side, and "who really won the war". Even popular music of the time is placed into the game to add to the atmosphere of the game. Although by no means a history lesson in itself, the game does pique interest and may inspire you to investigate further.

The game also emphasizes teamwork. Generic commands can be used to direct AI characters, but much greater success is to be had with a close team of human players. A well-balanced, organized team with strong communication skills and a chain of command is much more successful than the individual charging in with guns blazing. The teamwork aspect is especially prevalent when using vehicles, since several players can be using the same vehicle at once.

Negatively, the game is naturally quite violent. Although putting the violence in a historical context makes it less gratuitous, the game cannot help but glorify warfare, and in some ways make it a spectacle. If you get shot, you may hear yourself choke on your own blood as you collapse to the ground. Looking through a sniper's scope, you can see every aspect of your victim's death throws. Particularly close explosions can send a body, albeit not body parts, flying high into the air.

On a neutral level, the true terror of the Vietnam War is hinted at through the game. In the jungle it is extremely difficult to tell friend from foe. The heavy foliage provides excellent cover for snipers. Many times you will be shot and killed without a clue as to where the enemy is. How similar it must have been in reality. It is not to difficult to imagine the insanity troops went through during the war-the pressures of not knowing if you were going to live or die for another minute must have been tremendous. Although this is too "real" for younger players, older players may begin to comprehend the impact of the war on individual lives, and with discussion may grow to understand the personal decisions soldiers made during the War.

The game provides and excellent jumping-off point for parents and children to discuss the war and that period of time. Despite the historical information, the game does not really begin to approach the complexity of issues facing the world at that time. Many parents may be familiar with the war, or know people who were in the war. Personal accounts could add a great deal of depth to the game, and discussions could branch into a variety of topics not even touched upon in the game.

Overall, the game offers a more positive experience than many first-person shooting games available today. By putting the violence into a historical context and coupling it with historical information, the game attempts to make some sense of the violence-in other words it is not purely violence for violence's sake. Parents may wish to be cautious in supporting this game, but should also realize the multiple discussion points that may arise.