§01Which games we cover
Strategy and tactics games that players in the UK can start today on at least one mainstream phone, computer or console: grid tactics, real-time skirmishes, empire builders, settlement games and story campaigns with tactical battles. We favour games you buy once and that sell little or nothing once you are playing, and we say clearly when a game sells add-ons.
Every game in the roster can be played online, live, in co-op or by sending turns to friends, and we test that part too: lobbies, chat settings, accounts and memberships, and how a match ends.
§02How we play them
For many evenings and, where there is one, to the end of a campaign, on the default difficulty and on the gentlest one. We play alone and with others where a game allows it, look through any store, expansion and add-on, set up the family controls, test comfort and accessibility settings and time ordinary sittings before we write a word.
§03What a score weighs
- Board: how readable the map is, how much there is to discover and how it looks and sounds.
- Depth: systems that reward planning, with choices that matter and fair opponents.
- Command: controls, menus, tutorials and pacing.
- Ceasefire: clean hold points, sensible sittings and how hard the game pulls you back.
§04Scores, shields and ranks
One editorial score out of five, in tenths, shown as five shields: whole points fill whole shields and the last fills by the fraction. The score also sets a rank:
- Legendary (from 4.6): One of the finest strategy games we have played: worth a campaign of its own.
- Veteran (from 4.3): Excellent, with a weak flank or two that the dossier spells out.
- Seasoned (from 4.0): Very good for the right commander; the dossier says who that is.
- Recruit (below 4.0): Uneven in places, but worth a deployment if the setting is yours.
§05Pace
Pace describes how a game feels to play, never how good it is:
- Steady: no clock and no rush: you set the pace and can stop between any two moves.
- Thinking: slow and thoughtful, where a good plan matters more than quick hands.
- Tense: real-time pressure or sudden turns that keep you on your toes.
§06Move, action points and hold points
A unit’s move is the typical sitting we timed, from loading in to a sensible place to stop; on the map, longer sittings reach further. One action point is 10 minutes of the evening. The hold point is where the game keeps your progress cleanly: the end of a map, a new day, a season or an Age. None of these changes a score; all of them help plan an evening.
§07Rests and the turn timer
The turn order lays a 10-minute rest between two games. The turn timer follows common advice: look away every 20 minutes, drink every half hour and stand up every 45.
§08Comfort notes
Flashing light, camera motion, volume, tension and long sittings matter in strategy games too. Each dossier notes what we found and which settings help. Always read a game’s own health and safety warnings as well.
§09Where the facts come from
Platforms, player counts, chat options, accounts, add-ons and prices come from our own play and are checked against each game’s official site and store listings, which remain the reference for current prices and age ratings.
§10What we never do
No paid placements, no sponsored scores, no invented facts and no reviews written from trailers or press releases.