military and espionage

I strongly recommend spending the [$$] to purchase Road to Rome. This is an unusually strong add-on for what is already a fantastic game. The maps on RTR are meticulously crafted and challenging; they are, on the whole, a more complete package than the set of maps in the original BF1942. Husky, in particular, is a blast--extremely balanced and conducive to intense play by both sides, making it very difficult for one team to quickly take over the map and dominate the other side. The 1.3 patch that comes with RTR (which can also be downloaded without buying the RTR expansion) is also a strong reason to buy--the tweaks to existing maps, weapons, graphics, and gameplay in general are very worthwhile.

The Road to Rome offers new maps (6 of them I believe), new veicles and a few new weapons. These maps are harder to play in instant battle mode than the original give you something new to do when your not on-line. Most of these maps though I have yet to see on-line as it seems the originals just have less lag. But with a whole slew of new things, this will keep you entertained for a while. I wish they had added a campaign mode similar to the original where you played each side on each map, but oh well. What I like are some of these maps play like King of the Hill. You can capture the flag spot, but you can't spawn there. I noticed that some of the other reviews on this page were not for this game but the other games. My suggestion is, if you don't have any of these games, buy the Deluxe Edition. If you have any of these games, buy the expansion packs. On-line, there are over 2000 servers I can connect to and on the weekend, over 13,000 people are on at on time or another. So you can play for a long time on-line and I am sure somewhere you can find a game with these new maps. Happy hunting.

BF:1942 Road to Rome (RTR) is a satisfying, well-priced upgrade to an already top notch multiplayer first person shooter.

Don't be put off by the seemingly few additions to the game. The 5+ maps, additional weapons, and new vehicles add TONS of new strategies, tactics, and of course replay value. You're not just getting re-skinned variants of BF:1942 tanks, planes, and fortifications - you're getting a whole new battleground experience that significantly alters the way you approach each objective.

BF:1942 has never been a strong single player game, and this expansion is no exception. Like the original, if you don't enjoy online gaming, this is not something you should buy. There has been some single player "bot" improvement in this expansion, but the game's forte is multiplayer. Gamespy Arcade is included but I would recommend to ignore it and immediately download All Seeing Eye for your BF1942 game matching. DSL and Cable modem users should stick to games with less than 40 players, regardless of Ping, or risk choppy gameplay.

This expansion (especially the vehicles) focuses much more strongly on teamwork. Many of the new vehicles are only effective when you have multiple people inside, each manning a position. When on a public server, finally you have a chance of NOT being ignored when you "Request a Pickup". Friendly aircraft camping is still too common, and some vehicles, such as the stationary artillery cannon, look great but have very limited use in most battlefield situations.

The maps so far are a mixed bag. All are interesting and have multiple and creative ways to conquer flags. I have noticed that most game outcomes lean heavily on the team that somehow grabs the most flags in the first couple of minutes of gametime. It's far too easy to grab a few key flags, overwhelm the opposing team, and then spawn camp until the rest of the enemy tickets count down.

At least half of every new game I've joined has resulted in this overwhelming inbalance - very different from the original BF1942 maps. The number of vehicles available in each map compounds this problem, and it's not uncommon to find a talented and patient enemy team constantly bombarding your only spawn point with two artillery guns, four tanks, and three bombers. It grows very tiresome to wait out a 20+ second respawn on a public server just to be immediately destroyed by campers - who you really can't blame too much, because they currently have no other flags to claim or objectives to meet. Additionally, many flags have a *very* small capture radius, and it sometimes seems like you need to practically wrap your legs around a flag pole for 20+ seconds in order to capture it.

RTR's aircraft have been significantly enhanced, while flak and normal hand-held gun damage to planes has been reduced. Most of RTR's aircraft seem to take as much damage as a BF:1942 B-17 bomber, thus making an adept pilot a ridiculously overpowered force. Enemy planes now do more damage to other planes, increasing the need for dogfighting.

However, a very common tactic is to continually bomb and strafe an enemy airfield, reducing a losing team's effort to launch interceptors to defend against the bombers. AA guns are also relatively scarce in the expanion maps. Unlike the original game, aircraft are truly a force to be feared. This may sound more realistic, but in the balanced, arcade-style gameplay of BF:1942 it doesn't work well. On most of the new maps, an above average pilot can just devastate the opposing team. Hopefully this inbalance will be addressed in an upcoming patch.

Many users have reported sound problems (Audigy cards especially) wth this expansion, and many sounds (and some graphics) have been replaced. Personally, I like the new sounds, but many others in multiplayer do not, and expect to hear them complain. Graphics remain fantastic, and although RtR does not play as smooth (or load as fast) as the recent, 1.3 BF:1942 patch, chances are it will soon.

Despite the above listed gameplay issues, you can't go wrong. It's a great priced, solid expansion to a wonderful multiplayer game.