I've played a few games of Battlestations: midway since the multiplayer demo hit Xbox Live yesterday, and I'm still not sure whether or not I'm having fun. Actually, I'm still not sure that I've learned all the controls.

The game is part strategy, part action -- in theory, at least. There's a tactical map that lets you issue orders to units under your command but without a manual I don't have a clue how to use it. What I have figured out is how to steer around individual units, and through some trial-and-error I even managed to launch planes and repair ships. I can fire the guns, and sometimes, if I'm lucky, I can drop a bomb or launch a torpedo.



Here's how a typical match goes:

• One player immediately quits, frustrated by the controls.


• Boats begin slowly moving towards each other.


• Someone else quits, frustrated by plodding pace.


• Everyone finally figures out how to launch planes.


• Dogfights begin and quickly end as awkward controls send planes crashing into the ocean.


• Remaining players quit.

I don't want to judge the game too early, this is just one map and the control issues mostly stem from not having instructions. It is what it is, though, and you wont miss anything but irritation by passing on this demo.