Players battle terrorists in game for PC called 'Beyond the Law'

By JOHN BREEDEN II
SPECIAL TO WASHINGTON POST
It's an ugly scene in this game: Terrorists are operating in Washington and New York, and they don't play by the rules. On the other hand, you don't either, nor do the secret groups of anti-terrorist freelance agents you command.
In "Beyond the Law: The Third Wave," the overhead-view interface works much like that of Eidos' popular Commandos series. But actual combat goes by much faster than in those titles. And your agents come with a much more varied set of abilities -- for instance, bodyguards excel at fighting but sneak around poorly, while computer techs easily pick locks and disarm computer security but can't shoot too straight.
Your enemies -- perhaps unlike real terrorists -- tend to walk fixed patrol routes, which lets you learn their patterns and take them out at just the right moment to avoid alerting their comrades. Otherwise, though, this game is hard work. You must stay aware of the entire tactical picture: If you miss one camera or make a whisper too much noise, you might as well sit back and wait to get killed -- or, at best, watch your hoped-for surgical strike melt down into a mess of collateral damage. And your government employers hate messes.
The landscapes generally portray Washington and New York accurately; cut scenes shown before each mission add realism.
X"Beyond the Law: The Third Wave," a computer game for Win 98 or newer and Mac OS X 10.1 or newer, is available for $20 at www.magnumgames.com.