Review by David Jenkins - Long-time viewers will know of our deep and abiding love for the Advance Wars series of turn-based strategy games.

What's not often realised is that the series actually started life as Famicom Wars on the NES (we'd love to see that on the Virtual Console) in 1988.

The Nectaris series of barefaced clones arrived on the PC Engine only a year later and have barely evolved since.

Although renamed as Military Madness in the West, very few of the sequels ever saw the light of day outside Japan - and were particularly rare in Europe.

This belated attempt to revive the series is by Californian developer Backbone and it's every bit as insipid and uninspired as its revamps of 1942 and Commando for Capcom.

And yet even with such a lack of effort we still can't help but enjoy the game.

This is a fairly straightforward remake of the original game, which immediately seems a mistake as the PC Engine version is already available on the Wii's Virtual Console.

This uses the same top-down viewpoint as Advance Wars, as you move your various tanks, soldiers and aircraft around the hex-based maps.

As in the original, the lunar setting ensures the backdrops are pretty dull.

There is no ammo or fuel to worry about, nor any fog of war, which is a bit limiting, but units do gain experience and boxing in enemies has a big effect on both attack and defence.

Oddly you don't build new units, with the only additions to your forces being gained when you take over factories.

Naturally the original offline multiplayer is included, as well as a new four-player online option.

Apart from the online the only really new feature this adds is some customisable commander units and special abilities for the multiplayer.

This is a serious mistake given how limited the game's strategies are already, compared to Advance Wars.

Then there's the problem that the graphics have all the dynamism and personality of a broken Pong machine. Military Dourness is more like it.

IN SHORT: The old Advance Wars clone gets a remake, but somehow avoids getting a proper 21st-century makeover.

PROS: The basic gameplay is as addictive as ever. New four-player online and customisable commanders.

CONS: Nowhere near the depth or personality of Advance Wars, with bland graphics and not enough new features.

SCORE: 6/10 Out: Now (Online)