Darth Vader. Why is it that a dark Jedi master with innumerable fleets of terrifying star destroyers at his beck and call, one of the most nefarious and powerful men in the universe, can't afford an inhaler? It's a puzzler, for sure. He's probably on the galactic equivalent of the NHS ("We'll put you on the waiting list: you should have one in around 120 parsecs*").

Empire at War is a Star Wars real-time strategy (RTS). Doubtless there are veteran gamers out there who are spewing Dr Pepper over their keyboards in disgust, having recalled Force Commander, which wasn't exactly the greatest RTS set in the famous faraway galaxy. Fortunately, this effort is far superior to that waste of space.

It's essentially a game of three halves, or thirds if you want to be pedantic. The main strategic map depicts the galaxy, upon which troop movements and planetary invasions are plotted. Every planet provides certain levels of income, which can be used to purchase ships and land units, along with defences such as space stations. There are two sides to this galactic conflict, of course; the Empire and Rebels, with a campaign for each.

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When a scrap over territory occurs, the two RTS sections kick into play. First of all there's a space battle to be resolved. If this is won, the attacker can then launch troops onto the surface for a more standard RTS slug-a-thon.

The space RTS element isn't realised in 3D; it's played out on a 2D space-scape. This is an impressive spectacle indeed, with hulking star destroyers turning like oil tankers, tie fighters diving around and vast quantities of laser fire streaking through the vacuum. There's no RTS construction involved. It's purely about the compelling combat.

On the ground, it's the usual mix of infantry and vehicles. Although the defending side has a base, there's no actual base-building here, either. Reinforcements and bonuses can be gained by controlling certain areas and buildings, but other than that, it's just a matter of slugging it out.

We found this approach to be quite refreshing in its straightforwardness, although the tactical aspects of the battles tend towards the simplistic as a result. Hardcore RTS fanatics might be more critical, but we think developers Lucasarts deserve credit for pursuing this concept and keeping both the space and land conflicts succinct and sweet.

The main downside here is that some degree of repetition creeps in given the fairly shallow pool of tactical options. This is particularly noticeable with the land-based RTS, in which the computer AI is old-school and thoroughly predictable, constantly assaulting the player with dribs and drabs of units (as opposed to trying to organise itself to some greater degree). It's far from completely daft, though, as it will attack your most vulnerable units and use cover for its infantry units, to give a couple of examples.

Overall we found the campaigns to be absorbing, and once beaten there's a choice of further galactic conquest scenarios to master, some short, some more extensive. One-off skirmish battles are also provided, and you can partake of these or the galactic conquest game online.

No doubt there are RTS veterans who will decry Empire at War for its lack of strategic dimensions, but we found it a refreshing change of pace. The three-layered combination of planetary conquest, plus space and land-based RTS, is executed with aplomb. And it's Star Wars, for Yoda's sake!