We talk a lot about cameras in videogames - and so we should. Your point of view and your ability to see enemies from various angles is crucial in all games. When it doesn't work well - when it gets stuck, disorients or suffers from epileptic fits - it can ruin everything. So, I guess you know what's coming next; the camera in Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command spoils what would otherwise be a solid and enjoyable turn-based strategy game.

For the uninitiated, Warhammer 40k is a tabletop fantasy game which sees grown men painting little model marines and rolling dice at each other. It can usually be seen on Sundays and one evening during the week at your local Games Workshop - the red and black store with Lord of the Rings posters in the window and nu-metal blasting out the speakers. There's been a slew of videogames licensed from Warhammer 40k, including the excellent PC real-time strategy Dawn of War. Sadly, those hoping for a similarly superb handheld game will be sorely disappointed.

Squad Command sees you controlling six Ultramarines, a chapter of the mega-religious Space Marines, as you battle against the evil forces of the Chaos Space Marines across blood-soaked, war-ravaged worlds. Don't worry, I'm not being light on the story detail, because there is none. Bar a few words of context told through impressive CGI cut scenes, there's no real story to the fifteen missions - it's simply them against you and the winner takes all. This will probably be more of a problem for Warhammer enthusiasts, who would have loved a detailed back story to enjoy; for the rest of you, it's all about how the game plays.

Squad Command works like a typical turn-based game. Each marine has a set number of action points used to move, aim and fire weapons. Once you've spent all your action points for all your marines, your turn ends and the Chaos Marines take their shot. This repeats until you've killed everyone or completed set objectives. The further you move the more AP you use, while the better your aim the more AP you use and the more powerful the weapon, the more AP is needed to fire it. So, for example, if you want to use your basic bolter rifle on an enemy who's not far away, you only need to spend four AP. However, if you want to use a rocket launcher on a few enemies who are mid-distance away, you need to spend at least 12 AP.

It all sounds good so far then - and it is - until the dreaded camera is taken into account. The battles, which tend to last between twenty and thirty minutes, would be perfectly enjoyable if it wasn't for the limited camera. You have a static, top-down, isometric view of the battlefield, which is a big problem. Despite being able to move it very slightly with the PSP's analogue nub, your field of view prevents you from seeing everything you want to, leaving you with the d-pad to control everything else. You directly go to the nub to play and find out that you have to use the d-pad, which is disappointing. You'll constantly find that you can't see your enemy properly because they're positioned behind a pillar or a barrel or some other form of cover. Although the game turns scenery transparent when it obscures your view in this way, and has small red squares at the edge of the screen to show you the general direction of visible enemies, it's not enough to prevent the annoying situation of being attacked by an enemy Chaos Marine you would have spotted if you had the ability to spin the camera 360 degrees.

These camera issues are doubly disappointing because the game has some outstanding features. The battlefield environments are fully destructible - barrels, walls, crates, everything can be blown up - and it feels pretty satisfying to do so, especially when you launch a rocket into the face of a Chaos Marine who thinks he's well covered and you see tonnes of damage numbers appear on screen. The graphics too are impressive for a PSP game; the marines are well detailed and, as mentioned, the CGI cut scenes look great. I would have liked more Space Marine chapters to choose from however; it gets a bit boring having to look at the same blue Ultramarines fighting the same black Chaos Marines every battle. The game could have done with a couple of alternative races, too - perhaps the Orcs or the Eldar. Despite being able to choose from a selection of twenty weapons before you begin a battle - and they do genuinely have unique uses, like the sniper rifle for accurate long distance shots and the shotgun for a close range powerful spread - they're not cool enough to keep you interested for long. The close quarters chainsaw attack is particularly unsatisfying and the game doesn't have a hint of gore anywhere. Still, those destructible environments are amazing; it's great to make almost anything fall to the ground.

The game is much better in multiplayer than against the AI; you can play wirelessly against up to seven other players and game sharing makes it possible to experience multiplayer locally with only one copy of the game. Here there is more variety - you can choose between small, medium and large maps, between ice, industrial and desert environments and between three different chapters of the Space Marines and the Chaos Space Marines (there's no difference between the forces whatsoever apart from looks though). Playing multiplayer is actually decent fun, much more so than against the computer in the campaign. If you have Squad Command and want to face me then add me to your friends - my name is JFAN13. Because the game's campaign is short and, to be honest, not amazing, Squad Command's multiplayer offering will be what keeps you coming back.

If it wasn't for the frustrating, limited camera view, Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command would have been a must-have PSP purchase for all. As it is, it's recommended for Warhammer fans and turn-based strategy gamers alike, with a warning that you'll have to put up with the camera to really enjoy yourself.

Reviewed by James Fanciullo for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).