... when a plan comes together.

After David García-Morales Inés set the tone for the series in the main game, the musical design of the Commandos-series from Beyond the Call of Duty thankfully went to Mateo Pascual. I know that sounds a little more mean than it is meant to, because I actually like the musical character that the previous composer set: this hushed style, sometimes too dramatic, sometimes too calm. What could have ended in a tabula rasa turns out to be a fresh cell treatment for García-Morales Iné's crumbling foundation after just a few tracks.

Both composers pursue a similar synth instrumentalization: in both the main game and the add-on, drawn-out melodies waft out of the loudspeakers. But where Behind Enemy Line's aims for the most unagitated background sprinkling possible, Pascual relies on more dominant and consequently more concise melodies. Although some of them sound a little like The Settlers in camouflage outfits - and in the case of Credits like Barbie Horse Adventures - they very well underline the special nature of the Commandos-games.

Unlike a Sam Fisher or comparable stealth games in the first-person perspective, Commandos is more of a strategy game. Although the focus here is also on sneaky action, the accompanying music does not necessarily have to be used to build up tension - because the gameplay does that all by itself. The Beyond the Call of Duty Suite, shows just how large the scope of possibilities is, which Pascual successfully fills in the sequel Commandos 2: Men of Courage at the latest. Beyond the Call of Duty may not yet have anything mind-blowing to offer, but the promise of great things is in the air - or somewhere in the corner.