The Fallout series of role-playing games is known for its epic  post-apocalyptic story line and deep combat system, in that order.Fallout Tacticsturns the tables by focusing almost exclusively  on a series of complex missions that are loosely wrapped in a plot. The  focus is on combat, butFallout Tacticsstays true to its RPG  roots.You create your own character with the RPG system from the previous  Fallout games. The basics should be familiar to RPG fans: assign  numbers to attributes, such as strength, perception, and dexterity,  which help determine values for skills such as medic, sneak, repair,  and big guns. Fun quirks such as fast shot, finesse, and bloody mess  make your character unique. Once your character is complete, you're  assigned your first mission. There's no need for a strong, personal  plot device to get the game going: you're in the army now.Instead of the one-man-against-the-wasteland story ofFalloutandFallout 2,Tacticssets you up as a junior squad  leader in an expeditionary force of the Brotherhood of Steel. The  Brotherhood is a no-nonsense group of soldiers that has managed to  thrive in the nuked American landscape by maintaining strict control  over its technological superiority. Your group split off from the main  group and headed east in huge dirigibles, only to crash-land near  Chicago. Trading technology and protection for food and recruits, the  Brotherhood soon finds itself taking on the role of feudal overlord.  You and your squad tackle increasingly difficult missions for the  Brotherhood. Each successful mission lets you improve your character  and squadmates by way of accumulated experience, weapons, equipment,  and vehicles.The word "tactics" didn't get into the title of this game by mistake.  Characters can sneak into position, lay down covering fire, set up  ambushes, lie prone in a sniper hide, and do just about anything else a  real soldier can do. You'll need to use these abilities in order to  complete the game's tough single-player campaign, or against human  squad leaders in the included multiplayer mode. You can set the game to  play in the strict turn-based mode familiar toFalloutveterans,  or can play in "continuous turn-based," which is essentially the  real-time strategy mode seen in games such asBaldur's Gate. The  developers should get a medal for allowing gamers to switch between  turn-based and real-time anytime.Between battles, your characters wander the wasteland in search of  quests, barter for items, and interact with nonplayer characters whose  reactions depend on the squad's reputation. It's enough to keep  role-playing aficionados entertained, and action fans won't want to miss it.  Note thatFallout Tacticsis just as profane and violent as the  other games in the series, and isn't for kids.--T. Byrl BakerPros:Crisp graphics with great animationA truly beautiful combat systemA decent story links the missions together and lets players get to  know their charactersCons:Very challengingPlot is nowhere near as complex as those inFalloutandFallout 2.