Deadlock 2: Shrine Wars

There's something indefinably comforting about Deadlock 2. It's the sort of game where you want to take the phone off the hook, slip into one of those big slipper things and settle down to casually conquer the world. Of course, to get this intimate means putting in the hours - a couple to get used to the controls, half an hour to get over the graphics, and ten to win your first battle.

Before you actually get to the combat, you have to choose one Of the sides, which range from the obligatory insectoidy nasty types to the vanilla-flavoured, bog-standard humans. If you're playing a random or multiplayer map you then have to choose a drop site for your first colony, then it's the gradual build-up of resources, facilities and armies.

The feel of Deadlock 2 is not unlike a board game - albeit a pretty complicated one. Each map is split into geographical regions, subdivided into grids where you place various buildings. Colonists have to be shuffled about to staff the facilities. The more you have, the quicker you can build. And it's here you'll spend most of your time, managing established settlements and forging new ones. Combat units never really make an appearance until you're actually attacking or defending a particular settlement. Units sit in a stack, assigned to a region, and when you send them into battle they warble and screech a lot.

Deadlock 2 is certainly an improvement over the first title, though nothing spectacular. Eye candy this certainly ain't, but while there's nothing new or innovative there sure is a lot of depth.