The hugely successful Warhammer franchise has successfully moved from table-top to video game format, and last year’s Dawn of War was an excellent title. Mark of Chaos is likely to be just as popular, but it’s just not as strong.

If you’re a fan of traditional resource management and building strategy games then this probably isn’t the title for you, as it’s purely combat-based. However, the gameplay is flawed and quickly becomes repetitive.

Battles involve merely sending your army in and trying to flourish with as few losses as possible. It can also be fairly tricky to accurately spot what’s happening in the conflicts, and it lacks the complex fight mechanics of a title like Total War.

The single-player campaign can be worked through quickly, especially with the super-powerful hero characters often weighing battles too much in your favour, and although the multiplayer mode is better, it’s far from essential gaming unless you’re a real Warhammer fan.

Also consider:
Total War: Eras
Even the light-hearted of gamers should have Total War: Eras in their collection

Lord Of The Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
More strategic swords and sorcery for Tolkien fans

Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Adds new content to Empire Earth II but nothing eye-opening