Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War

Using the engine of the best-selling (in Germany, at least) Panzer General II, Rites Of War is another hex turn-based strategy title set in the futuristic fantasy universe of Warhammer 40k. Thousands of games workshops scattered all over the country tell us that a lot of people like this sort of thing and, if you haven't got a table big enough to stage immense battles with your little figures, this is the next best thing.

The gameplay is nicely moved along by an interesting storyline (although not quite interesting enough to recap here) and consists of 24 missions with a wide range of victory conditions (like "hold a certain area of the map" or "sit on a large sword and behave like a real warrior"). As you watch your extremely colourful troops stomping from one hex to another, you can't help seeing R2-D2 failing to let Chewbacca win at this chess-like strategy. Fortunately, you can customise your army and upgrade your units, thanks to the level-based experience system, which makes things a tad more involving. Ultimately, though, Rites Of War is made with a very particular kind of gamer in mind. If you usually spend your Sundays painting the tiny boots of Devastator Squads or making those lasershooting Seraphim wings look extra fluffy, this is where it's at.