It's about time. After several disappointing video game adaptations, patient Warhammer: 40K fans finally have a reason to get excited. Really excited. Honest.

Sledgehammer

After seeing the shockingly brutal opening cinema, Warhammer: 40K fans will breathe a collective sigh of relief -- clearly, this is one adaptation that wasn't sanitized in the name of higher sales. Dawn of War's attention to detail extends to the battlefield, as the gritty, bomb-blasted cityscapes lovingly recreate W4K's battle-scarred universe. And despite rendering vast numbers of units on screen, Dawn of War's frame rate stays consistently smooth and playable. There's also good news in the audio department, as the stirring battle anthems and crisp sound effects create an immersive sonic environment. The voice acting is also memorable, a rarity in many titles these days.

Thanks to its effortless interface and simple mission objectives, Dawn of War is the perfect introductory strategy game for casual PC players. As a plus, it retains enough tactical flexibility to keep the interest of more experienced strategy buffs. Units are arranged into squads, so you'll never feel overwhelmed by the number of troops on the field. Though there are occasional problems with squad navigation, it's nothing that poses a major problem. On the multiplayer side, Dawn of War offers several playable races, including the Chaos Space Marines, Orks and the Eldar. The single-player campaign limits players to controlling one individual Marine clan, but that sacrifice is made in the name of a detailed storyline. And, as every W4K fan knows, the storyline is half the fun.

"Victory Is Mine!"

There's no question that Dawn of War will turn even the meekest, mildest players into bloodthirsty battle addicts. Jaded, hard-to-please RTS snobs may turn their noses up at this novice-friendly title, but that's no reason for the rest of us to sleep through this Dawn.