The 1913 book Little Wars contains a wonderful photograph of its author HG Wells – resplendent in a boater and white trousers – lying on his front on a well-kept lawn as he carefully aims a tiny cannon. He looms over a miniature castle and row of houses, while a column of toy soldiers marches along his flank. It’s an image that perfectly captures the feeling of playing the Commandos series: of war recreated as a dinky diorama, a playset for the curious-minded.

This pleasure has long been denied to us. It’s been 27 years since the release of Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, and new entries in the realtime tactics series petered out long ago, after an ill-advised left turn into firstperson shooters. But now it’s back. Publisher Kalypso has positioned Commandos: Origins as a sequel to the Commandos series, although essentially it’s a reboot, retelling the story of the original protagonists – Green Beret, Sapper, Sniper, Marine, Spy and Driver – with new maps and a handful of tweaks to the formula.

The basics remain exactly the same as in 1998. The aim is to sneak around behind enemy lines in World War Two, quietly stabbing Nazis as you work your way towards an objective such as freeing Resistance prisoners or blowing up a radar station. In addition to bespoke means of silent assassination, each Commando has unique abilities. The Green Beret can bury himself in sand, for example, while the Spy can don a Nazi uniform and walk unhindered through the enemy ranks (although officers will see through his disguise).