First off, I'm not that big on RTS titles - gave up in the middle of Warcraft 3, cheated my way through the last few levels of Starcraft and generally hadn't shown a decent performance at one ever. So, I really have no idea as to what made me pick this up, but it's been totally worth the investment.

First off, DoW streamlines units amazingly well with the 'squad' system. This means that infantry arrive in squads and not as single units. Further, they can be further 'reinforced' to the squad cap, which differs from unit to unit, both intra and inter-species.

So, in the event of one or more squad members falling in combat, reinforcements can be called in, and after a short delay, will arrive one by one. This makes micromanaging your units so much more hassle-free than in any other RTS title I've played. Also, squads can benefit from heavy weapons upgrades - the Space Marines, for example, can equip 4 members of each squad with a heavy weapon if they have the resources, including - Flamethrowers (breaks 'morale' quickly at close quarters), Heavy Bolters (deadly against infantry), Plasma Guns (especially effectively against Heavy Infantry) and Rocket Launchers (great for taking down vehicles and buildings). So, with the right mixing and matching, you can take a vanilla squad and specialise them in just about any sort of combat.

Now the afore-mentioned 'morale' is also a key factor of infantry - if squad morale drops below a certain level, the squad will 'break', and their effectiveness and accuracy is seriously cut. However, their movement speed is boosted, aiding the option of retreat. Morale does gradually restore itself to full status, but there are ways to quickly restore it when it matters most - if a squad has a sergeant attached, he can use his 'rally squad' ability to get them together for one last stand, for example.

Another important factor in combat is 'cover' - when a squad is under 'cover' (certain spots like craters or under a canopy of trees), the amount of damage they take is greatly reduced, though their movement speed is cut down. When a squad is in 'negative cover', resistance to damage as well as movement speed is slashed. Proper placement of troops thus takes on a very large role in the outcome of a skirmish.

Now for the other radical change - instead of the regular grind of harvesting resources, the main resource for DoW is Requisition, and this is gained by capturing Strategic Points on the map and upgrading them (which conveniently includes giving them defensive turret capabilites). Power, the other resource, is gathered by making generators, both on open ground and slag deposits. What this does is reward an aggressive style of play. Players who turtle and stockpile resources (such as ME) in skirmish matches will soon find that most of the map is controlled by the enemy and that doom is imminent. Quick dashes to the strategic points and early tactical strikes to harass the opponent are the order of the day.

The single player game is very dramatic in fashion, with several anticlimaxes before the end, which is in itself an anticlimax (Expansion Pack!!!) The main characters are pretty compelling thanks to some good voice acting and lots of pompous dialogue. (The Inquisitor's African accent wasn't required, though - and Sindri's voice got annoying as well)

The missions themselves are well designed and well paced, and make you use most of your units and vehicles at some point or the other. It's pretty lame that they only let you play as the Space Marines, though. Much as I cribbed about taking over the Zerg once I had finished the Terran campaign in Starcraft, it made for a much longer game. DoW's campaign gets over too damn fast for my liking. Also, another drawback is that most players feel inclined to stick with Space Marines in their skirmish matches as well. The three other races - Orks, Chaos Marines and the Eldar have to be pretty much learned by yourself (a brief tutorial aside).

Skirmish mode: with even two decent players, LAN sessions are insane fun. Maybe someday I'll do the campaign in 'Hard' difficulty as well. Anyway, for the first time, my combat strategy makes some sense - send scouts ahead to infiltrate followed by an Assault Marine squad for support, send two Space Marine squads in flanking positions, send Dreadnoughts and Land Speeders in to ravage the front enemy lines while Whirlwind artillery tanks bombard them from behind and finally send a squad of Terminators via Drop Pod right into the enemy base to seal the deal before calling in an orbital bombardment on their remaining buildings. Well, that's not always what I do, but it's a pretty effective tactic.

Graphics and design are downright awesome - each unit is meticulously crafted and has several idling animations as well. Plus, when an enemy closes in, the infantry all break out into melee attacks (unless specifically instructed not to), with each of them choosing specific targets. Plus, there are some terrific kill animations which have to be seen to be fully appreciated. All said and done, each small melee looks fresh even after seeing it for the 50th time. This is greatly aided by the fact that you can zoom all the way in to the action and rotate the view all around. Frame rates are pretty solid on my rig, though an occasional stutter does happen when plenty of units, vehicles and explosions congregate. Sound and music is all kickass, and nobody should have much reason to complain. Gameplay is, as you can gather, the most fun I've had on a RTS ever. Fans of the Warhammer 40k universe really shouldn't have to think too hard before buying this game, and neither should any RTS fan.

Developer: Relic Entertainment

Publisher: THQ

Platforms: PC