Wide Games' Prisoner of War seems to play a lot like a combination of Shenmue and any of the countless stealth-based action games released in Metal Gear Solid's wake. However, the combination seems like it could be more interesting than you'd think. The UK-based studio has managed to create something of a living world, however cramped its sections are, and fill it with huge numbers of stealth-focused scenarios featuring amusingly well-realized characters. You'll spend a lot of time talking to them, so it's fortunate that their dialogue is both decently written and performed, as every single word is spoken out loud.

In order to be a successful truant, you'll have to get into some pretty sticky spots.

Item hunts and dialogue trees aside, Prisoner of War looks like one of the most fully realized World War II games ever developed, at least from a recreationist standpoint. Most of the action takes place within the grounds of various German prison camps, each one modeled after a historical counterpart--places such as Stalag Luft and Colditz. But while they're indeed physically modeled as such, Wide Games has taken it a bit further. The team has attempted to re-create the day-to-day operations of a German prison camp and has made it essential that you adapt to the camp's schedule to succeed. Certain characters, and thus certain missions, are available only in certain areas during certain times, so you'll have to find something to do with yourself in the hours in between.

You assume the role of an American flyboy whose plane was downed over Germany and who was subsequently captured by Axis troops. The introductory cutscene wasn't entirely implemented in the build we played, but we managed to catch a bit of it. Apparently, you and your partner were on a recon mission before the flak brought you down, and you pledged to complete the mission as the plane was falling. Thus, the stage is set for the various jailbreaks and double-dealings you'll engage in throughout your career as an inmate. There's really a lot to do, and there are a number of ways to go about the act of escaping, which, more often than not, is the primary goal of any given "scenario." You'll meet characters and form alliances with them, as well as suffer betrayals at their hands at times. Interacting with them is fun, though, and by means of clever characterization and solid dialogue, it's usually a pleasure to do so.

The conversation engine is pretty deep, which really works to give the various characters well-rounded personalities.

Most of the missions that these characters send you on, be it in return for a bit of information or a key item, are fetch-based. You'll have to retrieve something they need or want for them, the path to the item in question is usually open only at specific times of the day or during more specific circumstances. Actually retrieving these items usually requires you to practice a bit of planning and subterfuge. For instance, you might be asked by a fellow prisoner to get him a certain amount of "currency"--the game's catchall term for the salable contraband scattered throughout the camps' grounds--before he agrees to support your attempts at a coup. To do so, you'll have to, say, break into the officers quarters and retrieve enough items to meet your potential supporter's demands. Doing so safely, however, might be possible only when the evening meal is being served and the guards are likely at ease. But things can get pretty complex, and reckless exploration feels very frowned upon sometimes--walk where you shouldn't, during specific hours, and you'll catch a hot one, courtesy of a German rifle.