What an old school game. I remember getting this for my 16th birthday and thinking "Wow. I'm gonna kick some ass!"
The game offers a campaign set around the Cold War era, where there is a conflict of interest between fictional coalitions, though it is clear what's going on.
The graphics in this game, despite GameSpot's view, was damn good for it's time. The game doesn't even look so bad by today's standards, so long as you keep in mind it's a little outdated.
You can tell a lot of effort was put into the music and sound of this game from the beginning of the game. The soundtrack that will accompany you as you fight for missions is unbeatable by other RTS of it's era.
Generally, C&C is just a great game and it is easy to see why newer games came out with the same idea and name. I never got a chance to play them, but I heard they were pretty fun.
If you're ever bored and looking for a second hand game and you're thinking "I want something old-school", well my friend, I must recommend one of the most classic Real Time Strategy Games... Command & Conquer.