A few years later, Gollup expanded the idea and came up with Laser Squad.

Laser Squad is a turn based strategy war game where the player completes objectives such as rescue or retrieval operations, or simply eliminating all of the enemy, by manoeuvering the squad’s team members around a map one at a time, taking actions such as move, turn, shoot, pick up and so on that would use up the unit’s Action Points. By taking advantage of cover, squad level military tactics, and careful use of weaponry, the cunning player could complete their objectives before the other player/computer AI. More heavily laden units would tire more easily, and need resting or face running out of Action Points more quickly in subsequent turns. Morale also played a factor, a unit witnessing the deaths of all his teammates in short shrift, could panic and run out of the player’s control.

Mafia is basically a bigger version of the Assassins, you get a small squad of 5 men – plus a dalek type battle droid, and you are up against a mafia leader (basically, it’s Sterner Regnix) who has a couple of Cyborgs and some more Dalek battle droids.

The map is almost a cross between Sterners house and the Moonbase, but it’s huge – certainly as big as Laser Platoon as least. Unfortunately as you’ve not got a lot of people in there though, it can become a bit long winded actaully finding them.

There’s new weapons too – uzi’s, proton, lasers, time bombs, AP80 grenades and some other interesting items like keys and batteries.

All in all, a decent mission – but the map is a little to big for the combatants available.

Love to hear your opinions on it….