I must admit strategy games are not exactly my cup of tea, but I do appreciate good strategy titles when I find any. And Sins of a Solar Empire is one of them.

This adventure will please strategy fans for sure, as it includes all the typical elements you can find in this game genre: resource management, merciless battles and smart planning to take your empire to the highest level. But don't be fooled by this apparently traditional scheme: being set in outer space, Sins of a Solar Empire is quite original for a strategy adventure.

This particular setting means that every element in the game is related to space. So, instead of using regular soldiers, horses, combat units or even tanks, you manage spaceships. And instead of conquering towns and villages, you take over planets. Graphics are just fine, certainly not as detailed as other strategy games that are set in historical environments though.

Sins of a Solar Empire features single player and multiplayer gaming modes (though the demo only lets you play the first one). Solo gaming presents you with a series of scenarios and various challenges, including typical strategy elements such as diplomacy alliances, research and development of new strategies and a rather unconventional black market where you can trade crystal and metal without following the legal procedures. As you can see, there are many elements to be taken care of, which means that the game may feel a bit overwhelming at the beginning. This confusion is particularly noticeable when moving around the playing area, because maps are quite large and you can easily get lost.

Even if you're not a big strategy fan, you'll appreciate Sins of a Solar Empire for its original gaming environment. If you like strategy, you should definitely give it a go.

Download Sins of a Solar Empire Demo in Softonic

Your aim in UFO: Alien Invasion is to fight the forces of evil in a world that has turned over a leaf in the next stage of it's evolution.

While war and famine have been virtually eradicated, one major threat remains hanging over mankind - the threat of alien invasion. UFO: Alien Invasion is a free game rich in background history and strategy. You have to lead a crack commando team to destroy and investigate the increasingly dangerous extraterrestrial technology which threatens to wipe out the human race. The game takes the shape of a strategy/shoot-em-up action based thriller which requires a certain amount of guile and map reading ability as well as a quick trigger finger. The missions are incredibly well thought out and rich in detail and although the graphics aren't exactly stunning, there are some excellent special effects. It's easy enough however to pick up pretty quickly although to get the most out of the game, you'll have to consult the Wiki which has extensive details of the how to play.

A very well designed and thought-out game that, considering it's completely free, will thrill any UFO enthusiast or strategy game fan.

Download UFO: Alien Invasion 2.2 in Softonic

Some videogame genres are more likely to be set in certain environments or historical periods, such as RPG and fantasy, FPS and World War II and real-time strategy and medieval times. However, sometimes you find exceptions to the rule like Company of Heroes, an adventure set during the Second World War which all strategy lovers are going to enjoy.

The game enables you to play as the British army or the German Panzer Elite squad, in two of the most important battles in World War II. In spite of being a real-time strategy game, you're soon immersed into action-packed skirmishes and you really need to be quick if you want to beat your enemy. This is why we strongly recommend following the tutorial level instead plunging headlong into the campaign.

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts features extraordinary graphics, plus the ability to pan and zoom the camera with total freedom. I specially enjoyed the possibility to set the camera at ground's level and see action as if you were right in the middle of the squadron.

Get ready for some strategy and lots of action in this epic adventure.

Download Company of Heroes Oppossing Fronts Demo in Softonic

This naval, turn-based strategy game is an extension of the classic Battleship game, in which ships, planes, and submarines can move. The game covers all major battles in the Pacific theater during the Second World War and has missions and Free Hunt and Death Match scenarios from Pearl Harbor, the Coral Sea, and Midway to the Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Leyte battles.

The user-friendly game engine allows more than 40 unit types, including carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats, fighters, bombers, submarines, and port artillery, with the production of new units during the game. The game objectives are various: you can conquer major enemy ports, destroy enemy ships, defend ports, and secure a transport convoy to the friendly port. The Battlefield map can be enlarged up to 96x96. All units and ranks are historic.

Download BattleFleet - Pacific War 1.90 in Softonic

Armada Tanks is an alternative version of Bomberman which simply replaces bombs with tanks. The aim however is the same - eliminate and destroy enemies at all costs. You use the keyboard cursor keys to move and either the "Enter" key or left mouse button to shoot. Your task is to destroy every vehicle that appears on the small map you see on the screen.

As you complete your missions, players earn money for completing missions, they can purchase upgrades and well as new weapons. And when the action gets intense, players can roll over powerups that offer several benefits, including invincibility and base repairs. However, after you've done the first five levels, you'll find the going gets very tough and the extensions you can buy are not exactly spectacular.

This is a fun shoot-em-up although you can't purchase anything particularly exciting with your hard earned level credits and the difficulty becomes rather too high after the initial levels.

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Call of Duty has established itself as one of the greatest game series ever. With consistently improving graphics and AI, one of the only real criticisms it has faced of late was the repetitive nature of its setting. World War II is a fascinating, multi-theatre world for games to approach in many ways: but how about something different? Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the answer to that request. This game plunges you head-first into a present-day battlefield, even more fast-paced than its predecessors.

This demo offers you one mission from the full version of the game, where you play Sergeant Paul Jackson, of the US Marines. You're dispatched to save a tank which has become waylaid during its mission against a rebel leader in Saudi Arabia. Like any good demo, the mission features a range of combat situations, including the use of anti-tank weapons, the destruction of an anti-aircraft battery and at least one seriously fast-paced, confusing fire fight.

The graphics in COD4 are top notch, and we didn't notice any lag even at higher-end settings. COD4 is built on a new proprietary engine which offers much better support for up-to-the-minute lighting effects, clearly visible in this test mission. Another aspect of the new engine makes for a really interesting change to gameplay. Some forms of cover (a light wooden fence, for example), won't offer you much protection like they did in years gone by. While buildings are not destructible, many elements of the environment (like cars and, yes, light wooden fences) are easily destroyed with gunfire. Heavier weapons can cut through heavier cover too, "Shoot them through the wall!" you're ordered at one point.

All this added realism makes the general quality of gameplay really high. We noticed great improvements in AI, even on easier levels of difficulty where previous games may have left you feeling somewhat silly. In fact, COD4 was surprisingly good, especially when there had been some negative reaction to the XBOX 360 beta.

Fast paced, intense and varied: awesome graphics and involving gameplay make Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare a must-have for any self-respecting gamer.

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Age of Empires III strikes back with a new expansion pack and takes you to the Ancient Eastern empires. As with any other Age of Empires adventure, The Asian Dynasties is designed with an incredible level of detail, creating an involving atmosphere that makes the game really enjoyable.

In this sense, every single element in this demo is designed according to Asian stereotypes, from player menus to background music and including, of course, buildings, cities and military units. Also, if you have played any of the previous Age of Empires, you'll master the controls in no time, as they remain just the same; if not, don't worry because they're easy to learn.

Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties is pure strategy: you'll have to gather resources, build your town, create and army and battle against the enemy. This demo only allows you to get a sneak peek of the whole game but the overall impression was good... at least for an Age of Empires fan like me.

Age of Empires strikes back with more nations, more units, more challenges and more fun for you.

Download Age of Empires III Demo in Softonic

Driving a tank is never an easy task - not even on a computer. Because you have to control both the driving and the gun it's almost like fighting two battles at once. Universal Tank takes this challenge a stage further by placing you in a battlefield of extreme complexity. You and your trusty tank must confront many enemies and obstacles like turrets, tanks and even airships.

Although the game is rather difficult it includes a neat tutorial that guides you through the process of competing in intense battles. Universal Tank uses a graphics engine that provides classic visuals in glittering 3D. Anyone who remembers the classic Battlezone game on the Atari or the Tron film will be in their element with Universal Tank.

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There are dozens of tank games around at the moment and Micro Tanks is one of the most basic you'll see. The object of the game is to patrol a series of battlefields fending off rival tanks with bullets and capturing bases. What starts off as a fun way to kill some time turns in to a fairly mundane affair.

Graphically the game is very uninsipiring - the generic sprites backgrounds are not very detailed, the backgrounds are blocky and the animation is pretty slow. Likewise, the sounds aren't up to much, and save for the odd explosion FX, there's little to occupy your ears. Another drawback of the program is that you can't save your progress, which means you need to endure all the early levels every time you play. That said, Micro Tanks is fun for a few minutes, until you realise there are many far better warfare games out there.

Download Micro Tanks 1 in Softonic

Naval turn-based WW2 strategy game, extension to the classic Battleships game. (Ships/planes/subs can move). Battlefield map can be up to 96X96 big, over 50 missions and campaigns, Death Match scenarios, 34 ship types, 4 submarine types, 5 airplane types and 3 port artillery types.. Game objectives:Conquer all enemy major ports, defend your ports, destroy enemy ships, Secure transport convoy to the friendly port.

The basic idea of the game is to build an extension to the classic Battleship game. Standard Battleship game tends to be very boring after a while. On the other hand, modern naval strategy games are becoming more and more complex and difficult, especially for the player who didn't get his degree in Annapolis Naval Academy. So we tried to put 1939:Battlefleet somewhere in between. The game is a little bit closer to the classic Battleships, and differs from it in the following:

Download 1939: Battlefleet 2.12.01 in Softonic

A game capable of attracting millions of players all over the world who religiously pay their monthly fee to play on World of Warcaft's online servers is certainly worth reviewing. The story of Warcraft began in 1994 with the launch of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, a real-time strategy adventure. Ten years and a few sequels later the series took the leap onto the online world with World of Warcraft, which has nowadays become the world's leading MMORPG.

Being a subscription-based and online-only title, the first thing you must do after installing the game is to open an account on Warcraft's website and activate it with your credit card. Then launch the game, enter your username and password on the welcome screen and you'll be ready to join the adventure.

Your first steps obviously include the creation of a character and the selection of the realm (that is, the server) where you're going to play. These are both important choices, as they will define the way you play WoW. For instance, playing as a warrior, who can withstand the most powerful attacks, is certainly not the same as playing as a priest, who specializes in healing other players. Also, if you choose a PVP server (rather than a PVE one) you must be ready to fight other players as well as computer-controlled monsters. This is just the reflection of the battle between Alliance and Horde, the two warring factions in WoW.

Once your character appears on Azeroth, the game's imaginary universe, you're free to move around, explore the land or talk to other players, making use of the game's extensive social component. Your main goal in the game is to raise your character from level 1 up to level 70, earning experience points by killing monsters and doing quests which may range from gathering a few flowers to killing a fearsome dragon hidden in its den. The higher the level, the better the game objects (weapons, armor, spells, etc.) you can use. Eventually you'll be able to buy the most expensive items, like a flying mount, and enter the most dangerous raids, some of which can only be successfully finished with a very well organized team of 40 players.

If you don't like the levelling race, you can also enjoy other ways of playing: engage in capture-the-flag competitions between Alliance and Horde in the so called Battlegrounds, earn WoW money by selling game objects in the Auction House or achieve the Artisan level in whichever profession you choose for your character, like skinning, herbalism, cooking or jewelcrafting.

As for graphics, the game displays extraordinary landscapes ranging from the snow-covered slopes of Dun Morogh to the jungle-like lands of Strangleton Vale or the desert plains of Tanaris. The atmosphere is enriched by natural sounds and excellent background music.

In short, World of Warcraft is a great adventure which can be played in many different ways. This may precisely be the reason why it appeals to so many players, from teenagers to grown-ups, all over the world.

Download World of Warcraft 2.1 in Softonic

This game has nothing to do with Kung Fu despite the title. Its a strategy game based on taking an army across China on 13 amazing quests as you prepare for the great final battle.

Defeat 8 formidable enemies as you hone the skills necessary to advance. Only through accepting and beating the challenge of the Final War will you receive the title of KungFu Master. Have you got what it takes?

Download Kung-Fu Master in Softonic

Defender of the Crown is completely addicting strategy game fun.

Battle five cunning lords for control of medieval England in Defender of the Crown. Lead your armies of knights and archers on the battlefield, and conduct daring raids to rescue princesses and pillage treasuries from enemy castles.

In Defender of the Crown you will compete in jousting and archery tournaments, and lay siege to your foes with catapults and Greek Fire. Gain fame, outsmart and outmuscle your foes, then claim the British crown!

Download Defender of the Crown Demo in Softonic

Theatre of War is a new real time strategy game set, as many other titles, in the II World War. However, Theatre of War stands out for offering an incredible level of realism in both battlefield scenarios and military units. Gameplay is very comfortable, as developers have created a special interface that enables you to control all of your units in a very easy, quick way.

Take a look at what this game has to offer:

• Real World Military Tactics
• Amazing Freedom of Action
• Advanced Individual Unit AI
• 5 Historical Campaigns, each with unique units and equipment
• Over 40 campaign missions based on real WWII battles
• Over 30 different maps designed using historical military documents
• 9 Single (non-campaign) Battles plus 4 Training scenarios
• 8 Multiplayer Missions (Internet/LAN) with a maximum of 8 players
• Unique Role Playing Elements: soldiers gain experience and new skills as they progress
• Huge assortment of units, uniforms, equipment and vehicles
• State of the art 3D character animation and graphics

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Malestrom takes place on the devastated future Earth of 2050 after an apocalyptic ecological disaster. In this savaged world water has become the most valuable of resources and divided the remaining humans into two factions. Now, they must wage war agains the invaders and each other in a desperate struggle for supremacy and survival.

Advancing the innovative gameplay mechanics of Perimeter into a contemporary sci-fi game with action packed tactical gameplay featuring upgradeable transforming units.

It's all-out destructive was as you batlte for control of the entire planet against fearless aliens, an army of high-tech super soldiers and a rag tag crew of human survivors.

Have a look at what this game offers:

• Genre-redefining RTS gameplay featuring deformable and destructible landscapes
• Three unique races to choose from for a higl level of tactical options
• A gripping storyline from respected SF writer James Swallow
• A cutting-edge graphics engine bringing combat to life like never before
• Upgrade units to deal with specific battlefield situations

Download Maelstrom Demo in Softonic

Malestrom takes place on the devastated future Earth of 2050 after an apocalyptic ecological disaster. In this savaged world water has become the most valuable of resources and divided the remaining humans into two factions. Now, they must wage war agains the invaders and each other in a desperate struggle for supremacy and survival.

Advancing the innovative gameplay mechanics of Perimeter into a contemporary sci-fi game with action packed tactical gameplay featuring upgradeable transforming units.

It's all-out destructive was as you batlte for control of the entire planet against fearless aliens, an army of high-tech super soldiers and a rag tag crew of human survivors.

See what Maelstrom Multiplayer has to offer:

• Genre-redefining RTS gameplay featuring deformable and destructible landscapes
• Three unique races to choose from for a higl level of tactical options
• A gripping storyline from respected SF writer James Swallow
• A cutting-edge graphics engine bringing combat to life like never before
• Upgrade units to deal with specific battlefield situations
• Network Multiplayer for up to 6 players with full matchmaking and ranking system

Download Maelstrom Multiplayer Demo in Softonic

Prepare for a totally new combat experience as you fight massive air, sea and undersea battles in WWII's Pacific theatre in direct command of multiple warships, planes and submarines in this epic solo and online tactical action game.

For the first time experience the true intensity of large scale aerial and naval combat in a unique mix of direct action and tactical play. Directly control dozens of highly detailed warships, aircraft and submarines in a 'free-control' environment as you design and execute the best plans of attack. Command the colossal firepower of a fully armed battleship, engage the enemy in fierce dogfights through flak-infested skies, or utilise the silent attack of your submarine to unleash deadly torpedo attacks on unsuspecting enemies.

Battlestations: Midway follows the story of naval recruit Henry Walker, whose first assignment as a gunner at Pearl Harbor is the starting point of an incredible career at the heart of the US Pacific Fleet in 1942, in what was to become one of the most inspirational military campaigns in history.

This is what Battlestations Midway has to offer:

Revolutionary Gameplay

Experience epic WWII combat from multiple perspectives as you jump between dozens of units, playing as a pilot, a gunner, a submarine captain or even a carrier fleet commander.

Massive Battlefields

Every battle takes place simultaneously in the air, on the sea and beneath the waves. Movement of your fleet and the individual efforts of any one vehicle is critical to success.

Innovative Online Multiplayer

Huge multi-unit online battles with up to 8 players controlling over 100 units via Xbox Live and Gamespy

Authenticity & Realism

Cutting-edge graphics bring the Pacific ocean and island chains alive with lush real-world environments, dynamic weather effects and incredibly detailed vehicles and weaponry.

Sixty War Machines

Each warship, plane and submarine is authentically designed. The more players know about each units profile, capabilities and weaknesses the better they will fight.

Download Battlestations Midway Multiplayer Demo in Softonic

Do you play games such as Battlefield 2 or Half-Life 2? Do you have a Creative SoundBlaster Audigy (with external box) or another soundcard that the recording device, when playing these games, is reset to "Microphone" even though you actually use a different line such as Line 2?

With Muvixer, you no longer have to worry. Muvixer© allows you to select the line you always want to use and if Battlefield 2 or any other program changes your recording device, it will automatically be changed back to your specified recording device on a time interval of your own choice.

Download Muvixer 1.2.0.0 in Softonic

Opinions in the game playing world seem to be deeply divided over this multiplayer war shoot-em-up. Whilst Softonic users have made it one of the most popular game downloads on the site, one game player says, “Its so bad that it's a crime against humanity that makes the holocaust seem like a stubbed toe in comparison.”

War Rock is yet another in a long line of Korean games such as Kal Online and Gunz Online that feature plenty of blood letting on the battlefield. Anyone who has played the Battlefield series will be familiar with the format of War Rock. Once connected to the server, you can choose one of the three game modes before being guided to the lobby where you team-up with team mates or chill-out before war. There’s also a random game generator where people join together in a massive free-for-all. This can result in some particularly violent sessions as many people log on just to release their frustrations rather than play the game properly.

You can then pick one of the five characters - engineer, medic, scout, soldier or heavy weapons expert. If you decide you don’t like your choice but don’t want to quit the game, the best thing is to commit suicide as you are granted a “resurrection” after which you can reincarnate as a different character. Don’t spend too much time thinking about it, since you can choose again after death. Note that if you want some real bloodthirsty action, choose the heavy weapon expert character – he gets to use an M-60 or rocket launcher. The engineer only gets a spanner whilst the medic gets a bucket and sponge. Whichever character you choose, you have to fulfil a set of missions and win a series of medals to progress to the next battlefield.

A map guides you through the game showing you where medical kits, engineering and ammo bases can be found and used. The movement of the character however can operate rather strangely. You can move well forwards but going sideways is painfully slow and this is really annoying when you are under heavy artilery fire.

The drawbacks to this game are numerous and have been detailed on countless forums. For a start, the weapons don’t really act in a realistic manner as they hit exactly where it's pointed even if you're running, jumping or even being hit by grenades and gunfire. The result is that you can beat snipers easily with just a cap-gun which makes the gameplay far too easy. In many cases, you don’t even have to fire to kill your opponents. Simply getting into a tank for example instils such fear in the enemy that many just collapse in front of your eyes in an apparent act of suicide. The aim of the tank cannon isn’t terribly important either – as long as you hit the fire button in the general direction of those that remain, you are pretty much guaranteed to massacre them all. Destroying tanks is not so easy however – the anti-tank missile launchers are not much more powerful than a machine gun so you’ll spend a lot of ammo just trying make a chink in the armour.

The sound of the weapons is also surprisingly poor with the M15 sounding like a beanie gun at times. The other major drawback is lag-time which users blame on the coding and server overload. Although you can play against players in other parts of the world, the time lag can be so severe that after having shot someone, it can take up to 5 minutes before they keel over and die.

On the plus side, War Rock has low system requirements meaning even older PCs handle it with ease. It’s also entirely free to download and play which is unusual for a game of its size and popularity. It also offers a wide variety of combat situations and scenarios (how many other games can you choose to simply observe a war from a medic’s perspective?). The vehicle combat over ground and through water is also particularly good as is the sophisticated system of progression as you advance the game which you’ll do pretty quickly because its far too easy.

Overall, there are better battle games out there but if you enjoy an easy killing spree, then you’ll love War Rock.

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The year is 2142 and the dawn of a new Ice age has thrown the world into a panic. The soil not covered by ice can only feed a fraction of the Earth's population. The math is simple and brutal: some will live, most will die.

In Battlefield 2142™, players choose to fight for one of two military superpowers - the European Union or the newly formed Pan Asian Coalition -in an epic battle for survival.

Armed with a devastating arsenal of hi-tech weaponry, including assault rifles, cloaking devices and sentry guns, players will also take control of the most lethal vehicles known to man. Massive Battle Walkers wage fierce combat on the ground, while futuristic aircraft rule the skies. When taking on this futuristic armor players will need to use their wits and an arsenal of new hi-tech countermeasures like EMP grenades and smart mines to level the playing field.

Features

Titan Mode

Wage epic-scale war to defeat your opponent's Titan, a massive flying warship, controlled by the team's commander. Players must destroy the Titan's shields, board the craft, fight to it's reactor core and detonate it from the inside – all while defending their own Titan.

64-Players Online

Experience all-out war with Battlefield's legendary multiplayer for up to 64 players.

Real-Time Persistence

To the victor goes the spoils! Equipment, medals and other rewards are awarded in-game and in real time. Choose an unlock and have access to it immediately next time you spawn. The game features five times more unlocks than Battlefield 2.

Customizable Abilities

Gamers can expand their abilities and blend multiple player classes to match their play-style.

Lethal Vehicles

Gamers control menacing Battle Walkers that stalk the land and futuristic gunships that patrol the skies. APC's and high-speed recon vehicles keep the action fast, furious and unpredictable.

High-Tech Weaponry

EMP grenades, sentry guns, smart mines, cloaking devices, and more change the rules of the Battlefield forever.

The world has changed

Fight for survival on the Battlefield of the 22nd century in brand new locations from Minsk to North Africa as the ice presses down from the North.

Download Battlefield 2142 in Softonic