The Warhammer 40,000 license has seen some hard times; Rites of War and Chaos Gate were both average, verging on disappointing, while Fire Warrior seemed to miss the point entirely in its creation of a first-person shooter. But what Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War lacks in remarkable predecessors, it more than makes up for within seconds of its eye-candy opening; what looks to be the epic last stand of the Blood Ravens (campaign mode's playable Space Marine chapter) against the Orks with an equally gripping orchestral score. For many, the 40k universe is captured entirely within this two-minute long cinematic sequence.

Bleeding through to the well-crafted game menu, this intense and militant atmosphere continues throughout the game, greeting first-timers with a suggestion to take the tutorial, which is a noticeably user-friendly and thorough practice mission with all the info that you need to get started, even if you have no prior knowledge of the game or genre. While it does only deal with Space Marines (the only player race available in campaign mode), it is advisable to play through the tutorial again for each of the other races (Ork, Eldar and Chaos) before using them. In general, the tutorial runs through the basics of placing structures, requisitioning, reinforcing and upgrading troops, as well as capturing strategic points, which is the focus of DoW's gameplay. Additionally, it details the keys used to manoeuvre the camera, one of the title's main selling points. This allows players to select between the traditional top-down view of RTS (real-time strategy) and the more thrilling option to zoom right in and weave through the battles as they unfold in a hugely satisfying level of detail (i.e. hair and cloaks flapping in the wind, animated deaths and recoiling guns). However, due to the tendency of low camera angles to make strategic play difficult and graphics to diminish considerably from what they originally seemed, close-ups will likely be used sparsely during serious play, perhaps reserved solely for taking screenshots during lengthy battles.

Another important aspect of DoW's gameplay is that of light, heavy and negative cover; environmental features that either aid or hinder the squads within. For instance, placing them in craters or undergrowth will cause units to move slower but take less damage (light and heavy both producing this effect but to varying extents), while negative cover such as water will give units a much larger speed penalty and cause enemy fire to inflict more damage. Morale works in a similar way. The greater morale armies have, the more damage they will do and vice versa. Morale is boosted by unique (meaning that only one can be in play at a time) units such as the Space Marines' Force Commander or the Orks' Nob Leader. When these die, morale will drain much quicker during battle until a new one is requisitioned.

Besides its stunning detail and near-perfect replication of the Warhammer 40k universe, DoW has been criticized for not offering anything particularly innovative to the genre. While this is true, it was the creators' intention from the design phase to do the exact opposite and actually remove many established RTS mechanics from the game. Instead of boring the player with resource gathering and money management, Relic were clear from the start about wanting to bring visceral combat to the forefront and in this respect they were undeniably successful. The only system in DoW that barely resembles the pen-pushing tasks of other RTS titles is the increase of the squad cap (the maximum number of squads allowed at any one time) with each captured strategic point. Being that these points are often guarded or protected by shields, however, even this system is combat-orientated. Also, due to the nature of capturing these points, players who insist on taking a defensive stance and remaining at their base will invariably be crushed. In this way, DoW ensures that the player is always on the offensive.

Control-wise, the game is very easy to get a grasp of. Like most games of the genre, the mouse is used for just about everything - moving the camera around the battlefield, selecting and directing units (right and left click respectively). Notably, the screen is very clutter-free and this serves to retain the player's interest and keep their attention on the cinematic visuals.

The single-player campaign follows the crusade of the Blood Ravens, under the command of Captain Gabriel Angelos, as they attempt to rid the Imperium-controlled planet Tartarus of Ork infestation. In the first couple of missions, the captain will graciously aid the player by building on what knowledge they should already have gained from the tutorial, easing them through to the third mission by which more strategic freedom is allowed. Though the campaign is fairly standard and short, consisting of 11 linear missions, its main function seems to be to introduce the other three races, which have been cleverly integrated into the story so that even the highly intelligent and generally good-willed Eldar are pitted against the Imperium.

Most (and for many RTS fans, this really will mean most) of the player's time will instead be spent on the lengthier and more flexible skirmish mode, which allows free selection of the maps, races, armies, bots, game options (starting location, AI difficulty, cheats etc.) and win conditions (control area, annihilate, destroy HQ etc.). Also included with this mode is the option to take the tutorial again for any of the game's four races. As mentioned, this is highly advisable despite their obvious similarities, as each has different abilities, upgrades and race-specific structures - not to mention their starkly different personalities (ranging from the spiritual and mysterious Eldar to the comic relief Orks, complete with gruff cockney accents and a bad attitude).

While skirmishes against the computer are all well and good, they do have a tendency to get lonely. It is for this reason that Relic fitted DoW with a multiplayer option (LAN or internet, supporting up to eight players) - probably the game's main appeal and one that increases its lifespan indefinitely. Coupled with the army painter mode - a tool that allows players to customise the colours and names of their personal armies, the multiplayer option turns DoW into the best virtual replication of the tabletop game to date, capturing not only the essence and atmosphere of Games Workshop's fictional reality with its soundtrack and rich environments, but also the charm involved in painting miniature armies under a daylight bulb into the early hours of the morning and the subsequent pride of marching them to war.

With a wider range of races and perhaps more single-player outings to introduce them, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War could easily have been hailed the definitive RTS. And considering that expansion packs with these features are already in the works, it probably will be. With strong roots in both single and multiplayer gaming, it can only get bigger. Buy it.

Reviewed by Ed Hingston for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).