Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath (Windows)

Gamers eager to add a little brains to their brawn might want to boot up COMMAND AND CONQUER 3: KANE'S WRATH, a new expansion disc that adds more game-play to last year's award-winning Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars for the PC. Spanning 20 years, the latest in the best-selling real-time strategy franchise begins with the rebirth of the Brotherhood of Nod (after the Second Tiberium War) and takes the player all the way through the dramatic events of the Third Tiberium War and beyond. Between levels, the high-definition video sequences with real actors – namely, Natasha Henstridge (Species, Eli Stone), Carl Lumbly (Alias) and Joe Kucan, returning as the Machiavellian leader, Kane -- are a bit cheesy, but are meant to reward players and unfold more of the story.

As with the past 3-D games in this series, you'll play this futuristic war simulator from a tilted top-down perspective, as you build and defend bases, all the while commanding ground, air, and sea units to take down the enemy. Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath adds 13 new single-player missions and a myriad of new units, factions, structures, and powers to each of the three clashing armies: the noble Global Defense Initiative, the cut-throat guerilla tactics of Brotherhood of Nod, and the technologically advanced alien race, the Scrin.

While not terribly exciting, a new Global Conquest Mode has also been added, which allows desktop commanders to create their own turn-based games against two A.I.-controlled armies on a world map. Multiplayer over the Internet is back again, supporting up to seven opponents and a ton of new maps. An Xbox 360 version of Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath is expected this summer. While this console version will be a stand-alone game, it's a shame Kane's Wrath on the PC isn't – in fact, while it says "Expansion Pack" on the game box, it does not indicate you need the original Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars to play, which you do (the small print is on the bottom of the back of the box).

Available on: Windows
Available online
Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS)
Developer: Electronic Arts
Released on: March 27, 2008
Price: 29.99
ESRB Rating: T for Animated Blood, Mild Language, Violence