The new Medal of Honor: European Assault for the Sony PlayStation 2 console sends a player, filling the boots of Lieutenant Holt, to four pivotal European campaigns. These include a daring raid on the deep water port of St Nazaire in France, fighting Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's troops in North Africa, making a last stand in Stalingrad, and holding off Nazi tanks in the Battle of the Bulge.

The player's secret objectives will drive the game's storyline, written by veteran Hollywood director and Apocalypse Now co-screenwriter John Milius.

Medal of Honor: European Assault makes the battlefield bigger as it offers the player 360 degrees of movement in which to undertake a series of assignments that can be completed in any order. This set-up also provides opportunities for game play to be extended. For instance, a player's ability to 'cook' grenades spices up game play. This means a player can pull the pin on a grenade, hold and delay its detonation until there is an opportunity to throw it.

Players will be able to direct the movements of their squad during combat in real time via the provided D-pad. But players should be wary of enemies, which the video game endows with increased artificial intelligence. Enemies can take different routes to get the jump on players. They can seek cover, use grenades to force a player out into the open, and change positions to get a better shot.

In contrast, a player's squad members apparently have less AI. In a situation where a player is seeking cover, teammates run around right in front of machine gun fire. Although you can command them to attack and retreat, they mostly refuse to listen.

Rewards to players are also delivered in real time. Successful in-game 'plays' will fill an Adrenaline Meter (highlighted on screen), which when full will allow the player to access Adrenaline Mode. When in this temporary state, players will be able to be armed with unlimited ammunition and invulnerability - especially advantageous when faced with the heaviest of enemy forces.

The action can be so swift and intense that a player can die any time. That means going back to the start of a level since no mid-level save points are available. To help players out, a revive system has been added to the game. This allows a player to be brought back to life by a teammate.

The game allows up to four players to participate, but lacks online play functions which come standard in other games. Still, the audiovisual aspects of the game are spot on. Every gun has a unique sound.

The realistic sound effects include gunfire, hurried footsteps of soldiers and explosions.