RTS gaming is no longer one C&C clone vs another. The genre is splintering and the diversity is able to feed many varied tastes. The Empire Earth series had muddled beginnings (we were luke-warm in our June 2005 review), but with a patch and now this expansion, the series has evolved to become the hardcore strategist's RTS.

The latest iteration, Empire Earth 2: The Art of War is as deep and complex as they come and is the mature gamer's choice. To be different and sophisticated the game doesn't loose itself in crazy design tangents, it is simply a pure and simple old school RTS, just layered thick with almost unnecessary detail.
Research and upgrade options are excessive. Unit controls and waypointing will let your army do precisely what you want instead of blundering around bumping into trees, and you can create War Plans with intricate maneuvers. It's grown-up RTS gaming and surprisingly easy to get into.

The Art of War adds the French and Russian civilisations (anyone's guess as to why they weren't originally included in this American game) and a few new single player historical campaigns. For quick satisfaction we enjoyed the campaign missions, being thrown right into it with bases built and an army awaiting orders is nicely at odds with the way this game is usually meant to be played. Which is slowly over a long time in single player mode, much like Civilization. Or if online, at least a couple of hours for a game.

We're glad this series is kicking on with quality expansions. It's RTS gaming evolved with care and balance.