Let’s face it; Star Wars boils down to big battles between good and evil, which is probably why the most successful video games based on the series tend to focus on the epic combat element.

But, while the Battlefront series has got the action end of the market sewn up, budding military tacticians have had a long wait for a decent Star Wars strategy game.

Lucasarts has had several stabs at it, of which 2001’s Galactic Battlegrounds (essentially a Star Wars themed version of Age of Empires) was probably the best of a bad bunch.

Set during the era of the original trilogy rather than the more recent prequels, Empire at War is the latest attempt to bring real-time strategy to the Star Wars universe.

The game allows you to take on the role of either the evil Empire or the Rebel Alliance as you vie for control of the galaxy.

As with any strategy game, the idea is to win over more territory than your opponent through a series of strategic manoeuvres and tactical space and land battles.

The game has several different modes, including a vast main Campaign, a series of shorter Galactic Conquest scenarios, instant-action Skirmish Battles and a Lan or online multiplayer mode with support for up to eight players.

The basic gameplay is pretty much the same in all cases. Build up your forces, send them to a new planet and try to take it over. If the planet in question is already occupied by the enemy, then you’ll have a bit of a fight on your hands – either in space above the world or on the ground itself.

If you play as the Empire, the game’s theme is conquest, while as a Rebel, gameplay is skewed more to ‘liberation’. Choosing sides can also have a fairly big impact on the way that the game actually plays, too.

As an Imperial commander, you’ll have vast resources at your bidding from the offset and a brute force approach can often pay off. If you choose to be an Alliance leader, you’ll have to earn money the hard way and advance your technological status via less obvious means, such as espionage.

As a Rebel, you’ll be able to see Imperial planets marked on the map. But as the Empire, Alliance-affiliated worlds will appear neutral until you investigate them and discover a Rebel presence.

There are definitely enough variations to warrant multiple plays through the game’s main campaign as both factions.

Graphics, sound and overall presentation are spot on. All the familiar Star Wars noises and music help to create a suitable background atmosphere. With a good graphics card, the visuals are stunning.

In the heat of a battle you can pull back to marvel at the scale of the carnage or zoom in to a single trooper to get a more personal perspective.

A special cinematic camera mode allows you to sit back and enjoy a movie-style view of the action. Just don’t get too distracted by this or your forces could quickly become decimated.

Also worth mentioning is the game’s interface, which is more polished and intuitive than those found in many other strategy titles.

There isn’t enough innovation here to excite strategy gaming stalwarts and the Star Wars theme occasionally feels a little crowbarred into the genre.

But for those who grew up with the movie franchise, Empire at War is a bit like the adult version of acting out battles with your Star Wars figures and is probably, therefore, wish-fulfilment for a multitude of fans. 

System requirements:
1GHz processor
256MB of Ram
2.5GB hard disk
DVD-Rom drive
Windows 2000/XP