There are no complex user interfaces busying up the screen, and most commands are straightforward point-and-clicks, and neither are you expected to take a history lesson before each and every mission, giving Order of War are rather refreshing accessibility not often see in the style of game.

The simplified gameplay isn’t simply an exercise in trimming the fat from the RTS genre, however. The Belarus-based developer explained that Order of War aims to recreate the restrictions faced by troops on the advancing front, which means thin resources and fewer units than the all-out global wars most strategy games represent. Taking this concept into account, what initially appears to be a crippling reduction in assets actually turns out to provide an air of realism and a genuinely challenging twist in the gameplay.

Being forced to spend your budget carefully, and operating under the knowledge that you’re never going to work your way into a whopping fat bank account that will allow you to create an army of invincible tanks and aircraft to your ranks puts a lot of the strategy back into the game. And after all, using your limited resources wisely could easily be considered a much purer form of strategy than a long term plan to build and position all manner of clever units – in Order of War, you’ve got what you’ve got, and you’d better get on with it.

Graphically the game doesn't so much call for accuracy, as action film cinematic is. In many respects, these two things aren't that far apart, and means there is no fog of war ramping up this strategic difficulty by essentially artificial means. This directorial style further strengthens the notion that Order of War is being aimed at the mainstream, rather than the strategists. While this might sound like a criticism (and indeed is a criticism depending on which side of the RTS fence you sit) there is absolutely no reason that a strategy game can be distilled into its raw, arcade essentials and beautifully packaged.

So, if an action packed war skirmish without all the history lessons and chess play sounds appealing, then Order of War was made for you. If you like your war games in-depth and packed to the turret with statistics, resources and realism, then this game is likely to feel bit too shallow to satisfy your tactical outlook. Seasoned strategists are well advised not to overlook Order of War on principle, however – played with an open mind there are gems buried beneath the rough surface of this game.

All of which conspires to make the game very difficult to score, so I'll take a leaf out of Order of War’s book and go middle of the road - so if this review reads positively, add a point. If you balked when you read the word ‘mainstream’, taking a point off would probably make your score.

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