People see review scores for Battlefield Vietnam and are understandably confused. Not just because it's hard to imagine anything involving one of our greatest wars receiving anything less than full applause, but because it's the follow-up to one of the greatest games ever and the reviews are barely cracking 8.5/10. "Why is it?" you ask in a trembling, confused voice. Well, it's mostly because when you release a game that sets a standard, like Battlefield 1942 did, people expect you to set it even higher the second time around, and Vietnam doesn't do that, it just does the same things right and does them in the jungle.

Like 1942, Battlefield Vietnam is a multiplayer game, despite the fact that the multiplayer coding is buggy and laggy. Even a few months after the game's release, the coding is still a ways from being where it needs to be to make Vietnam as good as it could be. Nonetheless, the multiplayer is still where it's at. Sure, it has a single-player, offline mode, but it's only useful for those times when you need to knock some of the rust off the WASD keys and when everyone online has booted you from their servers because they can't stand to be owned. It's also a good start for people new to the game, as it gives you a chance to play some of the different classes and see some of the maps without having to play against people much better than you. You'll jump on a side, reenact a few battles, and start longing for human competition, which is just about the time Vietnam gets good.

Sadly, like every game out there not made by Blizzard, Vietnam's online system is pretty primitive. Of course it's Gamespy enabled, but there are no in-game buddy lists or any really good way to tell where your friend is short of using AIM outside of the game. Once you finally get into a game, whether it's with someone you know or not, you'll be in heaven. That is, if heaven is reenacting the battle where your uncle was killed.

Pick a class, pick a side, and wait a few seconds to spawn. Then, spend just a minute admiring the beautifully rendered jungle setting or the detailed Asian village or city. The graphics engine is one of the few things that belongs to Vietnam and Vietnam alone, and it's got a lot to be proud of. It's not Far Cry in terms of tropical scenery, but it does a nice job setting the mood for game and making you feel like you're really in Charlie's backyard. 1942 is blushing in shame and putting two trembling hands over its bland scenery.

Hopefully, no one's blanketing your spawn with bombs from above, and you'll get a chance to test out the ground combat. Unless you pick "Mechanic," there’s plenty for you to do. Snipers will be thrilled and frustrated by the insane amount of foliage in the game. Nature's back hair provides a lot of places to hide, but not a lot of clear viewpoints, so, like a real sniper, you'll be taking to the hills where you'll have a clear view. Anti-tank personnel and assault grunts get to be in the middle of everything, grenading, shooting, and generally assaulting their way to victory or defeat. Mechanics just kind of sit there and die a lot. Ground combat isn't much more exciting than any other FPS, but luckily it isn't even the half of it.

In 'Nam, it's all about the vehicles. Tanks, helicopters, planes, jeeps, and motorcycles are all there and representing. In 1942, it was the air battles that were lacking. Here, with the addition of copters and air transports (which can be used as a moving spawn), the air is where all the cool kids are. The fact that you're in the jungle limits the ground vehicles somewhat, even leaving them useless a lot of the time. Luckily, developer DICE made it up to you by making the new additions to the air arsenal as fun to use as the fighter planes in the original.

Anyone who's played the Desert Combat mod for BF 1942 will be relieved to see just how well the control was designed for the helicopters. You'll crash every single time at first, giving your friends something to laugh at as you try to bail but end up doing your Greg Louganis impression into a rock, but they're easier to control than the whirling, flying coffins of death in the mod - even the large transport choppers, which oftentimes make you feel like you're flying a 300-ton wet blanket. Insert ex-girlfriend joke right there.

If that's not enough to earn your love, DICE even kept the motorcycles that popped up in the Battlefield 1942 expansions, which are useful for making Charlie die laughing, and not much else. There are a few other, slightly more useful, ground vehicles, though, like assault jeeps and more kinds of tanks than you can shake a stick at. As a matter of fact, the only ground mount that's missing is Mei Ling.

Just like in the real Vietnam, or so I'm guessing, every vehicle you jump into has a radio in it that lets you magically pick from a bunch of late 60's, early 70's classic rock songs, which will get you in the mood to pick a flower and slide it into the barrel of your gun. As for the sound effects, there isn't a lot of ambience here as far as flies buzzing or anything of that sort, but there's plenty of weapon fire that - at least to someone who's shot a gun like once - seems to be quite faithfully recreated. The voice samples are good, too, although a still-present bug in the game causes your blond-haired, blue-eyed GI to occasionally start speaking Vietnamese after a team change.

What is there to say about Battlefield Vietnam that hasn't been said about the police action that gave it its name? It's fun, addicting, and great for LAN parties. Actually, that's only the game. It's like being there without the STDs, the flashbacks, the threat of death, the swinging 70's pot, and the general horrible overall stigma that hangs over the war. But it does have all the music. There's nothing fun about bombing a village, but playing Creedence Clearwater Revival in a helicopter with your buddy next to you is a hell of a lot of fun. Like I said, this isn't anything new, but sometimes more of a good thing is enough to hope for.

· · · Derek Durham