For Immediate Release

Award-winning films make for award-winning games…

Montreal, Quebec. November 5, 2002 – Co- publishers Strategy First and Monte Cristo and developer Digital Reality are pleased to announce that Platoon, the tactical strategy adventure game that brings all the excitement of the big screen to your PC, has gone Gold.

“Platoon was such a great war movie and we are really excited about bringing it to the PC,” says Steve Milburn, Director of Marketing for Strategy First.

Benefiting from the official MGM license, Platoon covers the period from the early days of the conflict (late 1965) to the height of battle in 1968 and recreates some of the most tragic moments of the Vietnam War including Operation “Shiny Bayonet”, the Pleiku Campaign and Operation “Pershing”.

Players follow the career of newlywed Martin Lionsdale of the 1st Airborne Cavalry Division, and take part in the most thrilling moments of the conflict, controlling an entire platoon through missions based on historical events. A soldier’s performance is continuously affected by the environment, terrain and combat situation, all brought to life with realistic 3D graphics and effects. Players learn US army tactics in the tutorials and take advantage of a wide range of weaponry, vehicles and support units. Combat and weapons are ultra realistic, real-life tactics making use of real US Army reports and documents.

Platoon Features…

  • Covers the Vietnam War from 1965 to the height of battle in 1968.
  • Tremendous visual effects such as character and object shadows, grass and explosion effects, environment mapping for reflective surfaces (windows, water and shiny metal) etc…
  • Scalable level of detail system (L.O.D).
  • Dynamic weather effects (wind, fog, rain, monsoons...).
  • 3D terrain modeled on the Vietnamese countryside (elephant grass, rice paddy, jungle...).
  • Particle system for explosion effects, smoke, fire etc…
  • Control vehicles such as M113 Armored Personnel Carrier and M48 Patton Tank.
  • Over 400 motion-captured animations ensure realistic soldier movement.
  • Soldier’s rank and abilities depend upon level of experience, and performance is continuously affected by the environment, terrain and combat situation.

For more information on Platoon, please visit www.strategyfirst.com. Platoon will be distributed exclusively throughout North America by Infogrames and is scheduled to ship on November 19, 2002.

MONTE CRISTO has established itself as a leading French developer and publisher of PC games. Founded in 1995, the organization has grown consistently over the last seven years and currently has a large portfolio of PC titles distributed worldwide : Start Up, Economic War/Political Tycoon, Crazy Factory/Factory Mogul, Casino Tycoon/Casino Mogul, Dino Island, The Partners…Monte Cristo is continuing to consolidate its existing catalogue of economic and management simulations, while expanding its portfolio of life-simulation and strategy games, to address a broader market. http://www.montecristogames.com

STRATEGY FIRST INC. is a leading developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC. Founded in 1990, the company has grown rapidly, publishing major games in the industry and simultaneously developing its own in-house titles such as O.R.B., Disciples II, Nexagon: The Pit and Zero-G Marines. After winning numerous awards for games such as Disciples: Sacred Lands, Europa Universalis, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns and Steel Beasts, Strategy First continues to push the gaming envelope with its own groundbreaking titles, while maintaining its reputation as a unique alternative for independent developers seeking to market their games to a worldwide audience.