Like the original Toy Soldiers, Cold War has you guarding your precious toy box against action-figure invasions — only this time, cavalry and biplanes give way to infantry and armaments from the Reagan era. You'll drop a handful of upgradable tower-defense staples (rapid-fire turrets, anti-aircraft guns) on predetermined build sites, taking direct control of them whenever you feel like mowing down a crowd.
Your A.I. gunners are now relatively competent, but manually controlling one has its benefits. Quickly chew up 20 enemies, and you'll earn infinite ammo and enhanced damage. Extend that kill-streak to 40, and you'll earn bombing runs, nukes, and even a Stallone lookalike with a rocket launcher and a mouthful of movie quotes. It's all pretty silly, but it's also a lot of fun, at least for a while.
Cold War improves on the first game in almost every way. The newly cooperative camera makes it easier to jump between battlefield supervision and firsthand carnage without losing your bearings. Vehicles, which range from Top Gun-style jets to thundering tanks, are faster and more maneuverable. Get in a jam, and you can even rewind the action to previous waves. Only a few boss battles pop up during the 11 campaign missions, but the action chugs along at such a steady clip, you won't have time to wish for more.
On the other hand, you'll almost certainly yearn for more than just three survival stages and versus-mode maps to tackle. But even if Cold War lacks enough variety for more than a few afternoons of entertainment, its simple, enjoyable challenges still earn it an honorable discharge.
+ Tower defense with a direct-control twist; fun toy vehicles; goofy humor.
+ Attractive and mildly destructible environments, ranging from Mount Rushmore to Washington, D.C.
- Only six turret types; not enough survival and versus maps; rare boss battles.
? Who’s gonna clean up all these broken toys?
