Fundamentally, it is just another Command & Conquer title, the difference in combat options and the revival of the naval battles of  the 90’s has meant it’s a different experience from Tiberium Wars and Generals, the systems are almost exactly the same except for how buildings are constructed. The Russians build as you buy, The Allies buy and complete before you place them and The Empire have small vehicles known as pods which, unlike the Soviet and Allied forces, have no restriction as to how far away from the main base you can place them.

Red Alert 3 is not without innovation though; there is now a brand new co-operative option for the campaign which is a first for the RTS genre. You can play through the story on your own with the assistance of a semi-controllable comrade at the hands of the sometimes ignorant and lagging artificial intelligence. It goes without saying that the most interesting option is to connect online and play with a friend. There’s a lot of fun to be had as each mission does have the difficulty level that does require a second force on your side, you have the great element of duty to defend each other and it helps to make what would normally be a prolonged drag of a mission a little more easily finished, so there’s a little less fear of repetitive clicking in a bid to slowly get the win.

Accompanying this innovative introduction to the series is the huge online multiplayer network that has made C&C that extra bit interesting and worthwhile, with a massive 28 maps you are given a vast amount of game time providing an almost endless amount of fun as you work your way up the online ranking system and conquer your friends. It’s always important for a game of this type to take full advantage of online capabilities and Red Alert 3 does exactly what it needed to.