Blizzard Entertainment
Requires: PC w/8MB RAM, CD-ROM
$25 on the street

Ever since Dune 2, the popularity of real- time tactics games has been on the rise. Warcraft 2, by Blizzard Entertainment, is the latest such game to hit the market. For those of you who aren't familiar with how these kind of games are played, here's a rundown.

You start out with a small number of forces in the middle of unknown territory - parts of the map where you haven't been are black. Directing your forces with mouse Clicks, you have to explore the world, and then find and destroy the enemy forces. Your units move in real-time; there are no grids or hexes, and there's no "end turn" button.

Typically you'll have to establish a stronghold, and gather resources which allow you to construct buildings and train troops. The types of forces you can build depends on what sort of buildings you have constructed; for example, to build a Troop Transport ship you'd need a Shipyard and a Foundry. Naturally, the computer is trying to wipe you out too, so you have to hold off waves of incoming enemies while you build your own army.

When you tire of fighting the computer, round up another human opponent and have at it, because Warcraft 2 supports modem, direct-connect, and IPX network multiplayer action. Best of all, one copy of the CD can be used for a 2-person game.

Gameplay is quite simple, consisting of click "you, go here, " click "you, attack him," and click "you, build there" but from this humble foundation has sprung the hottest genre in video games today. There's just something about these games that has hooked people bad, and Warcraft 2 is another fix for junkies everywhere.

When a Warcraft 2 scenario gets rolling, there's something going on everywhere on the map. In your village, little guys are mining gold or chopping wood. The barracks is turning out soldiers, which you deploy in a defensive perimeter. On the seas, your ships engage an enemy vessel to determine ownership of an oilfield. Enemy scouts buzz overhead, spying on your town. Every unit or building you click on makes a sound, too. When you order an Ore ship to move out, it responds with, "You're the captain!" or perhaps, "Ahoy!" If you click repeatedly on the same unit you can elicit some unusual responses from some units, too. The troll ax-thrower will get annoyed if you poke him too much and say, "I got ax for you."

It's enough to make your head spin - but in a good way.

The premise behind the Warcraft series is that Ore sorcerors found a way to open a magic portal to a world occupied by Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and other familiar races. Naturally, the Ores charged on through and brought with them a host of other uncouth races to help them smash the Alliance forces.

What this means to you, the player, is that at the beginning of the game you can choose which side to play, and when you've finished the game you can go back and play as the other side. A Warcraft 2 campaign game is set as a series of scenarios, which are all separate from each other. There's no Civilization- esque technology researching going on, or accumulation of wealth. You either win or lose a scenario, and you have to win all of them to finish the game. This is my single biggest complaint about Warcraft 2, and for that matter about Command & Conquer, Westwood's modern-day take on the same style of game. The small-scale gameplay is incredibly fun, but there's no strategic level to think about.

The best way I can think of to describe the atmosphere of the Warcraft series is to liken it to Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The Ore forces make their buildings out of bones and skins, and crude glyphs decorate their ships. Disturbingly cheerful goblins ("I can see my house from up here!") pilot airships through the skies, and mohawk-sporting trolls throw axes at, any Alliance forces in sight. The Alliance forces have elven archers, gnome dirigibles, paladins, and dwarven demolition teams.

All in all, the Orc and Alliance forces have 16 different units each - as well as 16 different types of buildings. It's a lot of variety, but the games still end up as a slugfest at the end as you try to wipe out the enemy. But it's a fun slugfest that doesn't get old too fast.