I posted that Theme Park had a high learning curve and should be rented 
first if you aren't fond of Sim-City sim.-type games;  the same is doubly 
true for X-Com.  It's very difficult to figure out how to play this game 
without reading through the directions first.

It's a simulation which also has isometric battlefield gameplay (once you 
get stuff established and figure out what the heck you're doing) against 
aliens!  I absolutley love this aspect of the game, esp. now that I'm 
familiar with the interface (which was no easy task, I promise you).

It's really spooky.  Teriffic music!  I also think the graphics are 
crisp, contrary to what many of those who owned this game for another 
console have been suggesting (course, I haven't played this game before 
the PS version, so I've nothing with which to compare it).

The battlefield aspect of the game is just flat out awesome once you've 
gotten used to it.  The theatre of war is in and around residences.  The 
first time I saw an alien I freaked.  There are those almond-shaped eyed 
guys with grey-tan skin, man!  Scary the way it was hiding behind a white 
picket fence...I shot at it and blew up part of the fence, which then 
shattered and fell to the sidewalk - God, that was really cool.  Then six 
of my seven guys were vaporized with some sort of bomb blast from a 
circular ship which was previously shooting at them with blasts of fire.

Another thing about the battlefield aspect of play:  warring sides take 
turns, ala chess.  That's a neat element which allows one to move all of 
his X-Com men independently, yet simultaneously.  God this game is fun!  
You can arm your X-Com men with all manner of weapons.  When you defeat 
the group of maurauding aliens, or aliens whose ship was successfully 
shot down, you can recover alien artifacts and reverse engineer them, 
including alien ships, which means that eventually your scientists will 
be able to make those alien weapons or items available for use by one's 
X-Com men.  What a neat innovation.

Again, this game has a STEEEEEEEEEEEEP learning curve, so those who are 
impatient and instant gratification types beware.  Otherwise, this game 
is super neat and involved.  The memory card is used extensively, so 
you'll be able to personally name your army men, if so desired, as well 
as bases and other such installations.

This may well be the game I get the most enjoyment out of for the PS so 
far!  If you get it, be patient and read the manual first.

__________
Rick Brown