Is it so wrong to judge a game on the first impressions it gives you? I'd be inclined to say "yes", but often if a game fails to really grip you from the start then what hope is there that it's somehow going to drastically change later on? Universe at War: Earth Assault is ex-Westwood developer Petroglyph's newest entry into the strategy crowd, and while the first impression it gives hardly inspires much confidence that it has the clout to muscle in with the big boys of the genre, it's misleading to think that the quality doesn't improve later on, but not entirely erroneous.

The "aliens invade Earth" story isn't a particular original or engaging starting point either; seeing the world consumed by an alien race known as the Hierarchy, the first couple of levels act as tutorials, putting you in command of the battle-weary human forces. The problem with doing this is that it doesn't take long before you come to the realisation that our puny Earth weapons are no match against the alien aggressors and so you spend most of the time pouring through reinforcements until you finally manage to reach the end.

Things only pick up when a second good guy alien race turns up and the game begins proper - or so it should, but in actuality the tutorial mode doesn't quite end with the two levels playing as the humans, and so even with a new and more powerful range of units to command, the pace during the opening stages of the game can be slow and sluggish. Basic information on units and buildings is trickled out to you over the course of the first campaign and it can be mildly frustrating when such important information should have been given you at the beginning to allow you the freedom to explore and experiment with the game later on. It's at this point that first impressions have a danger of dissolving any further interest you might have had in the game, and it's just at that point you get to the real good stuff, lurking behind the disappointingly slow start to the game, and glimpse at the strategic masterpiece lurking somewhere beneath.

At the heart of Universe at War are its three playable factions, each of which are uniquely diverse from one another in their individual playing styles. The Novus kick things off, a sentient machine race who turn up just in time to save us primitive Earth folks from their mortal enemies the Hierarchy. They look not unlike giant walking iPods and their units are a mix of high tech tanks and cheap but extremely brittle robotic infantry - not the strongest of fighting forces, but when you've got the kind of structures the Novus have, you don't need to be that robust.

The energy towers that the Novus can build can give them an edge that none of the other two factions can match; these towers don't just cloak, allowing them to spy on parts of the map almost unnoticed, but a swift double click when selecting a group of units can move them through the towers at lighting quick pace, making them ideal for hit and run attacks. Their resource harvesting is also reliant on these towers; harvesters can use them to fast track to resource deposits in far away parts of the map without the need to sacrifice units for their protection. Harvesters also respawn from their resource depot, so even if one is destroyed in transit, unless an enemy force can strike the Novus at the heart of their base they can generally bunker themselves in and fight off aggressors with ease. They also make up for their lack of battle prowess in the field with the Black Hole generator, a huge stationary weapon that once fully charged can be used to project a small black hole on a target area that consumes anything caught in its wake. It takes a while before you're allowed to build it, but it's a glorious sight to behold once you finally unleash its full force.

While the Novus have army bred for fast, inexpensive attacks, the Hierarchy on the other hand are all about brute force. These genocidal alien invaders have obviously been inspired the UFO myths of the Fifties, as they're all flying saucers and radiation spewing tripods - they don't have nearly as many options to play around with when it comes to constructing buildings but make up for it in their prowess in combat. They're an army that are constantly on the move, with resources gathered by mobile collectors that hover up everything, be it a house or even a field of cows. The Hierarchy mainstay however are the colossal Walkers, huge three-legged machines that stomp across the ground in an almighty display of power, trampling anything that gets in their way and scaling environmental obstacles that other units have to bypass.

These walkers don't just serve as the Hierarchy's main weapon, billowing out a huge laser on enemy targets as they stumble ahead, but through upgrading of several slots located throughout the machine they can be adapted for whatever action you prefer. Extra gun turrets, more armour and perhaps most importantly of all, a barracks that can reinforce an army as it's on the move. The Walkers not only make the Hierarchy fun to play as, but also fairly fun to fight against, because in order to take down these huge monstrosities you've got to go through the delicate process of targeting individual weak points before exposing their vulnerable cores.

Only when you finally get to the Masari does the creative input that's obviously been lavished on the previous two races seem to fade. These ancient, apparently godlike alien folk are awoken from a ten thousand year slumber beneath the Earth's oceans by the ruckus created by the other two races above. They've not quite got the same design flair as the robotic Novus or B-Movie stylings of the Hierarchy, instead favouring a look more in common with the ancient Myans and Egyptians. They're never quite as much fun to play with as the huge stompy robots of the Hierarchy, while their units don't manage to be as interesting to use and are far more expensive to construct. They still have their own unique gameplay style though, sacrificing the use of diverse units and focusing largely on base building. Things such as resources aren't bogged down with resource collectors; they just harvest them straight from the stationary collector itself, while the Masari builders can focus their collective energies on each building to speed up production.

They've even got an option to switch between light and dark mode, the effects of which can dramatically alter the strategies you'll need to rely on, be they offensive or defensive. This gives the Masari the added advantage of changing their playing style on the fly, allowing them to counter enemy forces more effectively without the need to plunge straight into the build queue for more units. They are however, the one chink in an otherwise flawless armour of Universe at War's two other playable races; they're good, but just never quite as interesting or as fun to play with as the others.

On top of their differing playing styles, each race comes fully loaded with a plentiful amount of hero units who inevitably aren't just the strongest units in the game but also come with a range of special abilities. As a matter of fact, practically every unit in the game comes with their own secondary and tertiary abilities, further increasing the diversity amongst the three factions. There's an incredibly wide range of choice on offer that against all odds is actually very well balanced, perfect for the games skirmish and multiplayer modes.

It's disappointing then to see such a lack of effort poured as lovingly into the game's campaign mode as has been focused on its participant races. Even once you manage to get past the slow start, the single player just never quite manages to grip you. The story is utter science fiction nonsense; whether intentional or not, its tedious ramblings about merciless alien invaders and cold hearted logical thinking machines is just old and tired, while the cut scenes fail to draw you to the characters. It's the utter lack of variety in the objectives you get that's the real killer though, which is a disappointment when you consider that variety is precisely the one thing that sets apart the three playable races from so many other games. They're simplistic in the extreme, always tasking you with seeking out and destroying things while never throwing any kind of last minute surprises - there's no freedom and no real challenge.

What's especially a let down about the single player game is that there was certainly room to have something a little more exciting in the mix. Head to the main menu and you'll find a scenario mode that allows you to fight over the Earth resembling something more akin to the board game Risk than it does to the by-the-numbers story-led campaign mode. Here you can fight it out with the other two races by launching attacks on different continents, while spending gathered resources on fortifying your position against enemy attacks. It's simplistic in the face of games such as the Total War series, but it adds complex challenges that are simply not offered in the main game, which is why it's disappointing to see it shunted to the side rather than made into a more prominent feature.

The skirmish options do make up for the game's slightly under-whelming single player mode though, and despite Universe at War having every opportunity for some great multiplayer gaming, it's possibly the one feature that many may never have the privilege of experiencing. Yet another minus point to the game is its need to attach itself to Microsoft's Games for Windows, the Xbox 360's subscription-based online service ported to the PC - and it's a subscription you're going to have to pay for if you want to experience the game's better online functions. What's particularly bothersome about this is that unless you pay for your Gold Live account, you'll be denied things such as ranking, global matchmaking and the Scenario mode. You'll even be unable to acquire Achievements, which don't just act as a means to increase your online score but also unlock medals that can be used to upgrade certain facets of your armies.

It's a shame that Petroglyph opted for this decision for the multiplayer aspect of the game, as it's the one feature that would have made up greatly for the games substandard single player. Instead of pulling in players to form a lively and exuberant community, as has been the case for some of the most popular strategy games you can play online for free, this is a feature that may very well turn away potential players who are tempted by the prospect of fighting it out online with those three unique armies.

There's plenty to like about Universe at War: Earth Assault. It looks nice, it plays reasonably well and the range of units and playing styles is something that not even recent strategy games have been able to pull off as successfully. Had the single player been up to scratch and had the online functions been open to all instead of the select few willing to pay the extra costs, Universe at War could very well have been one of the year's first great strategy games. Instead however, it sadly lacks the punch to go head to head with the best the genre has to offer - it's not a bad game by any means, just one that will only likely be used as a means to fill the void before the bigger franchises start rolling out later in the year.

Reviewed by Kieron Giacopazzi for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).