Developed by: Barking Dog Studios Published by: Sierra Studios Official website Genre: Strategy Number of Players: Multiplayer available ESRB: Everyone 9 Graphics:....................9/10 Sound:.........................9/10 Documentation:.........10/10 Getting Started:.........9/10 Gameplay:..................9/10 Value:..........................10/10 The Good Press: Aside from improving on the original in numerous ways, Homeworld: Cataclysm does not require Homeworld in order to function--a user-friendly move, allowing newcomers to jump right into the game. The Bad Press: As in the original, cinemas during the single-player missions are sometimes disruptive, particularly if you feel deeply engaged in a crucial act, such as saving a ship under attack. System Requirements: • Windows 95/98 • Pentium II 266 or higher • 32 MB RAM • 250 MB free space • 4X CD-ROM • DirectX-compatible video card and sound card Supports: LAN/internet play

"...In an intastella burst I am back to save the universe!!"

--Radiohead, OK Computer

Fifteen years after the Kushan people successfully made their way home across the universe (as depicted in the epic galaxy-hopping quest Homeworld), a new threat to their livelihood is unwittingly unleashed during a routine harvesting expedition. This is the sort of thing apocalyptic nightmares are made of--a biomechanical virus capable of infecting entire armadas in a matter of minutes. You commandeer the Kuun-Lan, a Hiigaran mining vessel that will ultimately serve as a combat-ready mother ship. Build and control a fleet of ships, researching technologies and harvesting space resources as you seek a means of overcoming this epidemic before it's too late.

As in the original Homeworld, single-player missions in Cataclysm are divided into increasingly difficult challenges tied in to the structure of an epic linear narrative. There are multiple objectives you'll need to complete in order to move on to the next mission, and hence the next part of the story. Protect a space station from hostile invaders, obtain minerals from an asteroid crop or dust cloud, rendezvous with an ally eons away, research a deadly alien force, etc. There are a total of 17 new single-player missions in the full-length campaign mode, each containing its share of unique elements and strategic possibilities. As in the previous game, completing objectives requires hopping back and forth between numerous evolving management screens and the remarkable real-time 3D deep-space interface that allows you to make any ship or object the center of attention. With a press of the right mouse button and a swish of the mouse, you can rotate 360 degrees in any direction around any item you select. Use alt focusing (Alt plus the right mouse button) to set your camera to focus on an asteroid, and you can zoom in close or zoom out until it looks like so much space dust, which is all that will remain of your fleet if you don't quit putzing around with the camera.

Indeed, tempting as it is to simply admire the breathtaking interstellar scenery, it's best to stay busy upgrading your armada. Send worker ships out to harvest for minerals crucial for construction, have your science team research holographic mimicking technologies to help conceal your military ships, select tactics and formations for your various crews, and send out scouts to determine what your next move ought to be. A tap of the space bar brings you to a more distant 3D map view of your current surroundings, allowing you to plot long-distance movements. Always keep your most recently assigned objectives in mind, but feel free to experiment a bit. Although there is a narrative structure to adhere to, you are hardly a prisoner. You are a heroic explorer in the farthest reaches of outer space, so enjoy your good fortune and gun those engines a bit.

This is more than a mere continuation of the previous Homeworld. In fact, it stands well on its own even if you are completely unfamiliar with the first game. This is due in part to the addition of 18 individual new ships with unique unit stats and capabilities, and 25 new technologies to research. Moreover, it is due to the fact that this game simply uses one of the best interfaces around, and the controls have been tweaked a bit from the previous version. For retroactive die-hard fans of the original, there's also an option to use the old-school interface.

Enhanced fleet management includes time-compression options, allowing you to speed the time it takes to travel or gather resources. The use of waypoints improves navigation, allowing you to strategically maneuver around enemy fleets (provided you are stealthy enough). Attacking enemies requires but a few simple mouse clicks. A quick reference guide serves to remind you of the key elements learned in the tutorial mode, including camera controls, manager screens, ship selection, right-click pop-up menus, general movement, combat, formations, tactics, and other commands. It seems like a lot to remember at first, but most players will get the hang of it in no time.

Should you happen to possess the ever-evolving skills required to complete the single-player campaign, there are still plenty of options to grant Cataclysm an additionally lengthy shelf life. If you lack a speedy internet connection, consider playing a multiplayer skirmish against your CPU, with the additional option of setting it to take on the role of several players. Save a multiplayer game in progress, and you can return to it later. Record a multiplayer game, and you can watch it again later, focusing on any ship of your choice. If you're unfamiliar with the immensely pleasurable deep-space feel of the original Homeworld, you're in for a big treat. If you are familiar with it, welcome back. The extent to which one is able to manipulate perspective in this series is simply astonishing. Aside from the general approach of centering your attention on an individual object and zooming around it three dimensionally, you can also select multiple objects and zoom around them three dimensionally. Furthermore, you can do this while they are in motion, or even while a full-scale Star Wars-style attack is in effect. You can also adopt a first-person view from any ship, further enhancing the staggering degree of realism miraculously established within the context of this imaginative sci-fi environment. In addition, depending on your visual proximity to an active ship, the sounds behave accordingly. Well, sort of. As any science geek will tell you, there is no sound in a vacuum, so for this game to be truly accurate, it would need to be silent, with the exception of radio-transmitted communication between ships. In truth, this would lessen the appeal of the game slightly. Anyway, most game players aren't sticklers for such detail, and the sounds happen to be well produced, so this is hardly a shortcoming. In fact, Cataclysm is so far above and beyond the majority of real-time strategy games out there, it's tough to find any shortcomings at all.

Tips:

• Play through the entire tutorial mode before starting a single-player campaign, and you'll be well prepared to tackle nearly any objective. Skip the tutorial, and you're likely to find yourself horribly confused.
• To best protect a ship, select several armed units, then press G and click your left mouse button while pointing the shield icon at the ship you wish to protect. Next, select sphere formation, and the ship will be surrounded by guardians. Make sure they are set to aggressive tactics.
• When resources are high and your fleet is solid, consider saving the game. This may come in handy if things take a turn for the worse, and you'd like to restart from a healthy point.