MR PYKE and his girlfriend were both fans of the Advance Wars game, and were administrators of a website dedicated to it.

In it, players are charged with commanding an army of tanks, planes and foot soldiers in a battle to wipe out an enemy force on a grid-based map.

The game is said to be something like chess, with the player taking on the persona of a commanding officer – chosen from a line-up of different characters each with their own special abilities and weaknesses – and using units with different abilities, move patterns and strengths.

There are two ways to win a match: destroy all of your enemy's units or capture the enemy base. Battles are turn-based, each player able to make his move in his own time.

According to on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia, Advance Wars was released in the USA on September 9, 2001, but put on hold in Japan and Europe due to the terrorist attacks in the USA