A brave new dawn

In Game Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe, armed factions battle endlessly to control a war-ravaged galaxy. For years this recipe worked as a tabletop game, then Relic brought Dawn of War to the PC, a brutally effective real-time strategy title, which gave players control over huge Space Marine, Ork, Chaos Marine or Eldar armies.

It was familiar RTS stuff, revolving around constructing bases, generating resources and building various units to dominate key points on each battleground. Several add-ons and mission packs followed, and now here's a full-on sequel. So is this just more of the same? Well yes. But at the same time absolutely and completely no.

Men of war

In dawn of War II, there's no base-building, there are no resources and in each of the single player missions you can only select and deploy four out of six available squads. Naturally, each squad has its own weapons and abilities - there's a unit of stealth soldiers, a bunch of paratroopers and an artillery outfit, for example. Before a battle starts you need to work out which you want, based on the type of enemy you're up against (it could be orks, the Eldar or a race of slavering alien monsters, the Tyranids) and your own tactical preferences.

Then you're into the battle, commanding each squad with the game's intuitive point-and-click interface, directing them toward messy hand-to-hand combat, as well as strategic ranged attacks, getting your guys to work together to flank and destroy the enemy swarms. Borrowing perhaps from Gears of War, there's even a cover system, allowing you to tuck in your squads behind scenic objects for greater defence.

It's a hectic, full-on frontline experience, accentuated by some great combat animations, revelling in the bloody chaos of pitched warfare. And without all the resource and construction management you're free just to enjoy sending your troops into the death zone and seeing them do their destructive stuff.

Character-forming

So Dawn of War II is an action game, but it's also partially an RPG. Each of your squads has a named commander who gains experience as you go through the game, unlocking new weapons and equipment. In this way, you get a real sense of character progression and ownership, doing away with the faceless minions you usually control in real-time strategy titles. It's another brave gambit from Relic, and it works, adding personality to every encounter.

Perhaps where the game falls down slightly is in the lack of mission variety. Although the campaign mode allows you to pick and choose which battles you want to get into, most are based around similar themes, so you'll often feel like you're fighting the same conflict over and over and over again. The good news is, the whole campaign can be fought co-operatively with another player, which brings in an exciting social element and adds a real richness to the action.

There's also a hugely competitive online multiplayer mode, where you can play as any of the four races. This option also takes the game back to its reasonably traditional RTS roots, with resource management returning, allowing you to build up vast armies.

Oh, what a lovely war

Dawn of War II is an admirable and almost entirely successful attempt to re-invent the whole idea of the real-time strategy game, removing the micro-management slog and replacing it with action-packed battle romps and role-playing elements.

Purists may take a while to a just, while absolute newcomers may still find the whole thing bewildering at first, but both groups should just grab their battle chainsaws and wade in. There's fun to be had out there in Game Workshop's universe of war...

GAME's Verdict

• Massive non-linear campaign with co-op option.
• Brilliant battle action with atmospheric animations and audio.
• Compelling online multiplayer.

• Longtime fans may baulk at the emphasis on action.
• Missions can get repetitive.
• May still not be accessible enough for newbies.

Review by: Keith 'Space Marine' Stuart
Version Tested: PC
Review Published: 13.02.09