“Star Wars Empire at War” is a real-time strategy game that lets you play as either the Rebel Alliance or The Empire. This strategy game was developed by Petroglyph Games and published by LucasArts in 2007. Gameplay in “Empire at War” is split into two parts. On the campaign map, you move your armies around, build new troops, and receive funds. You also research technology and improve the defenses of any of your bases. When two units collide on the galactic map, the game switches to battle mode. The battles take place in real time with the player moving troops individually. Because you are always jockeying for position, you need a keen mind to win these fights. You can only take a set number of troops into combat, so choosing a proper platoon lineup is the key to success. At any time during a fight, however, you can call in a small number of reinforcements. Your troops range from simple soldiers to massive Star Destroyers.During these wars, you control not only nameless soldiers but also the heroes and villains of the Star Wars universe. For example, The Empire can have Darth Vader charge into combat to decimate his foes with his force choke. The Republic calls upon Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kyle Katarn to blast its opponents to pieces. These hero units turn the tide of combat almost instantly.“Star Wars: Empire at War” features three game modes for players to take part in. Skirmish mode is the most basic mode, and it involves two teams battling it out in combat with no galactic map. Galactic Conquest mode is an open-ended mode where you're vying to complete one of three objectives. The method you go about achieving these objectives is up to you. For example, you could slowly destroy the planets your opponent holds or just go right to his commander. In this mode, the entire galaxy is at your disposal. You also have access to all of your troops. Both Skirmish and Galactic Conquest have multiplayer modes available as well. In Campaign mode, the game follows a linear story. This story eventually culminates in the Battle of Yavin from Episode IV and the destruction of the Death Star. Through this mode, you have to accomplish specific objectives to advance the story. The “Star Wars: Empire at War” Gold Pack version also includes the game's expansion, “Forces of Corruption.” In “Star Wars: Forces of Corruption,” the developer added a third playable faction: The Zann Consortium. The Zann Consortium specializes in an espionage strategy, so they fight very differently from the Rebellion or Empire. This Star Wars expansion pack features a brand-new story to play through as well. It also adds new planets and features to the Galactic Civil War mode.Because it was released in 2007, Empire at War has very modest system requirements. The game only requires an Intel Pentium III or higher, 512MB of RAM, and a 64MB graphics card. Star Wars: Empire at War is a great strategy game that combines both land and space components.