Lt Col Charlie Barker, chief of staff at Urban Warrior 5C, is unequivocal that Call of Duty would not have been a viable - if more economic - alternative.

BBC: British army stages record-breaking virtual battle

There were inevitably comparisons with Activision's Call of Duty series, but Urban Warrior 5 was not a game, said Dr Nigel Paling, science advisor with the UK government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.

BBC: British army stages record-breaking virtual battle