Campaign update for my first Shock Force 2 venture, Task Force Thunder. I've completed five missions so far. I'm having fun with it, but honestly it's not very challenging. The maps are small, there's little tactical freedom, and each battle has been essentially a shooting gallery. I've taken nine casualties (3 KIA) and no vehicles lost while destroying a regiment's worth of the enemy and lots of tanks and vehicles.

On one hand it's sort of expected, after all I posses a strong force, with heavy firepower, air and artillery support, well-trained troops and high tech, while the enemy does not. On the other hand, it's not very compelling gameplay. The Syrian T-72 TURMS-T package is a very formidable opponent, but the rest is fodder. Most enemy tanks are in view for literally five seconds before a 120mm sabot round rips through the turret, detonating the ammunition. Enemy ATGMs help to even the odds a bit, but the operators lack motivation and are easily suppressed or routed. I did come up against Syrian Special Forces in the airfield battle, and those troops had moxie and were hard to dislodge, causing most of my casualties with missile/rocket fire against the buildings in which I had deployed my forward screen.

I'll keep at it, I want to see how the campaign plays out and see the kill totals at the end And maybe the campaign will open out, with bigger maps requiring more complex planning and maneuver.