What's Good	What's Bad	2.5 out of 5.0
Vibrant unit graphics Excellent unit encyclopedia	Dull terrain Single campaign Linear gameplay Too easy Multiplayer dulled by turn-based nature of the game

SSI and Dreamforge apparently had similar thoughts and decided to apply their skills to Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War. It is a successful combination of a traditional fantasy setting and a more futuristic military environment. The three races present in Rites of War include: the Eldar -- an ancient race that roam the galaxy looking to regain the civilization they lost to corruption and decadence; a human contingent of Space Marines; and a vaguely insectoid race called the Tyrannid. They then took an engine that has already proved itself very competent, Panzer General II, and gave it a facelift. Gone are the tanks and foot soldiers, replaced by Vibro Cannons and Warlocks and other even more exotic units. The turn-based strategy system was retained as well as the hex based movement system favored by many wargames. What emerged was Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War. Does it work? Did they manage to capture the complexity of a tabletop game and present it in a manner that a computer game strategist might enjoy? Well, not really.

The game itself is executed adequately. The interface is well laid out and the unit graphics are vibrant and interesting. The terrain on the other hand is about as generic as it gets. Panzer General II's flat trees and meandering waterways might have seemed cutting edge two years ago, but they pale in comparison to what is available today. The game also makes use of an 'encyclopedia' that contains useful information about unit strengths and classes as well as special powers and abilities. The information available from the encyclopedia is extensive and was quite fun to read in and of itself. The units are loosely broken into functions like infantry, long range artillery, support fire, and armored vehicles. Special units that possess Psyker powers are scattered throughout the armies as well. Psyker abilities are similar to the familiar magical spells of other strategy games and can be used in an offensive and defensive manner. There is also an option to buy Strategies. Strategies are used to enhance your own units or to disable an enemy. These can be purchased at the beginning of each scenario and must be used during the battle or lost. The careful use of Strategies can turn the tide of battle when you need it most, so pay attention when they are offered.

The game has several different steps that should be taken before committing to a confrontation. Obviously, choosing your units is one of them. Creating an army and managing their progress plays a major part in the game. This is a section of the game that was actually quite fun. I enjoyed picking my troops and reasoning out which would be needed in the coming fight. Sometimes I chose a unit for a tactical edge. Other times I sent them out to gain experience. Sometimes just because they looked cool. The point is you cannot simply flood the enemy with wave after wave of powerful units. All of your units start out relatively weak with limited experience and they cannot be replenished once the scenario is under way. Because of this, selecting units that complement each other and offer support roles is important to surviving the individual battles with minimal losses. Lose too many units to foolish decisions and you rob yourself of survivors and the experience they gather. Experience means advancement in the ranks and that means victory in the long run. This is an important facet that sets Rites of War apart from many other strategy games. Unfortunately, this may be the one feature that spoils it too.

A few games have toyed with the idea of 'veteran' units that operate with increased efficiency or deal out more damage once they reach a certain experience level. Rites of War goes one better. Each unit that survives the previous battle gains experience and can increase its level accordingly. At specified levels, you can even upgrade your unit into a far more deadly class. This by itself is not bad, but combine it with a linear campaign that does not increase in difficulty to keep pace with the advancement of your units and you have a game that gets easier as you go. Once my units started to level up to higher grades the game became a little too easy. The lack of any variations in the game progression does not help matters much either. The single campaign that is included goes from A to B to C with no divergent paths or choices offered. A scenario editor is included but from what I was able to see the variations were negligible. Multiplayer looked to be fairly comprehensive with Internet and LAN support. I never took the time to try a multiplayer game because, well, truth be told I hate turn based multiplayer. I really do not like waiting for the other player to make his or her move-I'd rather try bending spoons with my mind.

What could have been a perfect pairing of a solid turn based strategy wargame and a fantasy tabletop game ended up falling a bit short of the mark. Overall, Rites of War is not a bad game. It's enjoyable for the first few scenarios and well executed throughout. It's just not the kind of game that holds your attention for more than a few minutes. Once you overcome the initial difficulty with your rookie units, the game starts to slide into tedium. Even the enjoyment of managing my armies and guiding them up the ranks couldn't overcome the lack of balance or the paucity of choices in the linear campaign. Yet, even with this failure I have hope. The flaws of Rites of War are easily corrected and I'm sure this is not the last we have seen of the Warhammer franchise.