When the larger ships explode, fantastic amounts of debris are flung far into space. It’s an impressive sight

It’s yet more realtime strategy, sure, but Homeworld just looks so beautiful.
Steve Owen

Realtime strategy without tanks? What’s the point of that?
Oh, tish tosh. Everyone loves space. There’ll be the new Star Wars film out in June, and by then everyone is going to be astro-crazy.

Fair enough. What’s the big idea then?
Homeworld should bring back fond memories of that camp classic, Battlestar Galactica. Just like that Star Wars wannabe, this game has your fleet of ships attempting to find their way back home again after taking a wrong turn or missing an exit, or something like that.

So do you keep the same fleet throughout the single-player game?
Blimey, you’re on the ball this week. Spot on. There’s a nice big fleet at first and it gets whittled away as you get into spots of bother with your enemies and pirates.

So, you could just find yourself woefully under-equipped when you get to the later levels, and in more than a little trouble?
Cynic. No, each level adjusts itself so that it’s always tricky to complete, but never impossible with what you’ve got. Besides, like all good strategy games you can rebuild your fleet by careful management of resources.

Phew. So what resources are there?
Energy and minerals are your currency, found in dust clouds and within asteroids. But interestingly, asteroids can hide a fleet from enemy radar, and dust clouds can make them invisible, although they can be electrified by an evil foe. Thus, controlling fields of resources is more important than ever before.