Video Game of Spain's Civil War Causes Outrage

A computer game that allows players to take sides in the Spanish civil war has caused outrage at a time when the country is still struggling to come to terms with the legacy of the conflict.

Shadows of War: The Spanish Civil War is the first game dedicated to the 1936-39 conflict, which cost the lives of an estimated 500,000 people and resulted in General Franco's 36-year dictatorship. It has been designed to enable players to take on the role of Franco's victorious forces or the defeated republicans.

The release date is particularly contentious as it falls on November 20, the anniversary of the death of Franco, when fascist groups gather to commemorate the late dictator. It also comes weeks after the Spanish parliament passed the historical memory law, which for the first time recognizes Franco's victims, and was one of the most hotly disputed pieces of legislation in 30 years of democracy.

Gaming websites have been full of criticism for the game, with some viewing the idea of playing the part of a fascist soldier as repellent. Others, however, welcome the chance to rewrite history and emerge victorious as a republican soldier.

The game's makers have defended the decision to use real events. "As well as being entertaining, it could serve to remind people that they need to be conscious of past events to make sure they are not repeated," said Paco Pérez, the project's director.

But some relatives of those killed in the war do not see it that way. Carlota Leret, the daughter of Commander Virgilio Leret Ruiz, Franco's first victim, executed on July 18 1936 and whose name is mentioned in the game, said: "It is not a historical event buried in the past, but is very fresh in the memory of Spaniards. There is no justification for trivializing the killings and the suffering and pain of the victims when we still haven't reconciled ourselves with the past."

Though much of the game is historically accurate, in one section players take on the role of a young female republican guerrilla, with a mission to inform her comrades of the position of Franco's elite Condor Legion. Her tight-fitting trousers and revealing top are more reminiscent of Lara Croft from Tomb Raider than Spanish guerrilla fighters.

But perhaps one fact more than any other will affect the game's popularity: it is reported not to be very good. A review in the daily El País described it as "far from being a super production".