Konami's SUIKODEN RPG series has always been popular, especially because of its large number (108) of recruitable characters. Now the series spins off into the tactical RPG genre with Suikoden Tactics for the PS2. Suikoden Tactics revolves around Kyril, a young man whose father was killed investigating rune cannons, mysterious weapons that turn men into violent amphibian creatures. Three years after his father's death, Kyril sets out to destroy these rune cannons and end the threat they pose to mankind. Along the way, he will meet and befriend dozens of different characters, although the number of allies doesn't quite reach the standard 108. Like most strategy RPGs, combat takes place on a grid and is turn-based. To add more strategy and require players to plan even more, Suikoden Tactics features an elemental system. Each character is associated with one of five different elements, and certain terrain on the battlefield also has elemental associations. Players can use this terrain to strengthen their elemental-based attacks or to lure enemies onto terrain that will weaken them. Each element is strong against another element, but each also has a weakness. Learning to exploit elemental weaknesses is the key to winning battles. The game features dozens of interesting, unique characters to recruit, and players can also find mounts for their characters, creating mounted cavalry. Gamers who love tactics games will find Suikoden Tactics is full of great battles, interesting characters, and hours of fun.