It seems like videogames about WWII have been with us since the war ended in 1945, but for some unexplained reason, there's still a fascination with the Allies-Axis conflict.

I'm one of those people who find the concept of battle very interesting and the opportunity to jump into the trenches of another era-based game is one I simply couldn't pass up.

The stand-alone expansion to 'Company of Heroes', titled 'Tales of Valour', is essentially a collection of eight supplementary missions, divided into three episodes.

In the first, 'Tiger Ace', you take control of Tiger Tank Ace Hauptmann Voss' Tigergruppen and guide him to victory against the Seventh Armoured Division from the United Kingdom on D-Day.

The events portrayed in this mission are very close to the actual accounts from the real battle. During the Battle of Villers-Bocage, German tank commander Michael Wittmann found himself surrounded and heavily outgunned by the Seventh Armoured Division.

In a strange twist of fate he managed to wipe out almost 30 of the enemy, before being forced to abandon his tank — only to return later.

In the second episode, 'Causeway', paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division, Able and Baker squad, are tasked with holding the causeway from Omaha Beach for the Eighth Armoured Division to make their way inland.

Relatively quiet at first, the mission does become a bit hairy later on, considering a heavy Panzer company occupying a small town.

The last episode is without a doubt the most difficult and will take a couple of tries to complete successfully.

You've been given command of the SS Panzergrenadiers and Wehrmacht and need to hold off the enemy in the Falaise Pocket. After a number of fierce fire-fights, you eventually abandon your post and leave your comrades to face the rest of the Allies.

Besides these additional campaign missions, developers Relic Entertainment have also included three Operations; new multiplayer maps consisting of 'Stone Wall', 'Assault' and 'Panzerkrieg'.

Each scenario is unique and also a first for the franchise. 'Stone Wall', as the name implies, pits up to four players against 16 waves of Axis attacks, each one growing stronger and larger than the last. Of the three extra scenarios this is by far the most exciting and action-packed.

The game is a bit of a double-edged sword of sorts. Being an expansion pack, it adds more value to 'Company of Heroes', but it's more of the same thing. And contributing only three episodes, it hardly seems worth it.

On the other hand, if you haven't played the original, this is a good place to start, although you won't get the full experience — without the original installed as some maps are locked.

'Tales of Valour' has been greeted with mixed reviews, with ratings ranging mostly from 'average' to 'decent'. Unfortunately I have to agree — the game's not bad, but it's nothing new either.

Developers should look at furthering the experience with expansion packs, not release what we've already seen.

EntertainmentAfrica.com

Buy this game: PC

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