It's a simple concept, but in practice it dramatically transforms what is already one of the most solid and enjoyable multiplayer experiences on the PC. The game takes the basic capture-and-hold model of Battlefield 1942 and drags it into the 21st Century with the application of modern vehicles and weaponry, a scenario particularly popular with enthusiastic war gamers thanks to the renewed conflict in the Middle East - Iraq is the new WWII, whether that seems insensitive or not. Currently residing in the Alpha phase and weighing in at 334MB, this monstrous "total conversion" is easily the most popular Battlefield 1942 modification yet - the website's counter is sitting at fourteen and a half million hits at the time of writing. New York-based Trauma Studios has achieved a great deal in the six or seven months since its inception, and its Desert Combat mod is fast becoming "the next Counter-Strike". It's the sheer level of sophistication and professionalism with which these teams bring their creations to life that makes their mods as compelling as the real thing, usually a first person shooter. Successful mod teams, such as those responsible for Counter-Strike or Day of Defeat, don't get anywhere by knocking together a half-baked idea in their basement though.
Now with ever more flexible engines, increased access to powerful design tools, a helping hand from the original game's creators and - in some cases - publisher backing, mod development is a highly attractive and even lucrative hobby. Not since the golden glory days of home computers like the Spectrum, C64 and latterly the Amiga have gamers been making quite so many games.
It's no secret that mods brought bedroom programming back to the masses.
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