Warhammer 40K: Squad Command is the latest title that thrusts players into the Games Workshop's galaxy. In Squad Command, gamers are tasked with retaking planet Rhur III from the Word Bearer Legion of Chaos. The retaking is done in an 15-mission campaign. Unlike most games on today's market, Squad Command is neither a first-person shooter nor real-time strategy, but rather a turn-based endeavor that allows gamers to pause and consider each move, target and tactic.

You'll control up to six units as you fight the enemy on battlefields as diverse as rubbled industrial city streets and desert wastes. These units include Space Marine scouts, armored infantry, Predator tanks, Grey Wolf Terminators and more. The units can be armed with several weapons, from lascannons to chainswords. Moving and firing is a simple point-and-click affair, each action drawing on a unit's finite store of action points.

Three multiplayer modes reside on the UMD: Global, Local and Game Sharing. Each uses the same mechanics as the single-player game to either pit online adversaries against each other or enable cooperative play.

Fun, but limited

Squad Command is a good game. For turn-based gaming aficionados it is close to a great game. The milieu is just right, dark and foreboding, and the visuals are a treat. Plasma cannons hurl balls of blue light against gothic structures, crumbling sections of wall. Well-animated and heavily armored Space Marines dash to engage the enemy, felling them with slashing chainswords, and Predator tanks explode and burn fiercely when destroyed.

The battles are satisfyingly rich. In today's gaming world, bloated with speed, action and cinematics, it's refreshing to plan carefully, move thoughtfully, and then blast the hell out of anything that stands in your way. Furthermore, the weapon choices provided before each mission provide just enough tactical wiggle room to allow players to attack the missions in a manner that fits their style without burdening them with an endless stream of choices.

On the flip side of the coin, the missions are repetitive. All of them can be won by killing every enemy on the board. Additionally, the game ignores some of Warhammer 40K's most colorful denizens, such as Space Marine Apothecaries, who could have been used to heal their injured brethren, and Librarians, whose magic would have added an interesting element to the battles.

Despite its flaws, this is a game well worth playing. The combination of tactical choices and dynamic and beautiful battlefields makes this a great game for Warhammer 40K and turn-based gaming fans alike.