Released as Supremacy in the UK

Rebellion is the first LucasArts strategy game and also the first non-arcade Star Wars game. Rebellion is set just after the first Star Wars game, when the Death Star has just been destroyed. You can play as either the Rebellion or the Empire and there are 30 characters on either side for you to order around. The aim when playing as the Rebellion is to capture the Imperial headquarters on Coruscant or when playing as the Empire you have to discover and destroy the rebel base.

You start each game with an area of space containing a number of planets, which are neutral, unoccupied or controlled by one side or the other. The aim of the game is to take control of each planet, either by diplomacy or force. You have to build a wide variety of machinery and train troops. These can then be sent out to the near by planets or set to explore further away worlds. As the game progresses you eventually have whole fleets of ships under your control and amass a large number of troops. You also have to invest in R&D to create new more powerful ships.

To be honest the interface to the game is an absolute nightmare. It's a jumble of windows which at times are overwhelming, although they can be minimised (up to ten of them), there is still a problem. The graphics that appear in the windows are also not up to scratch, they tend to be too small and insufficiently detailed.

Rebellion is certainly hard work, later on in the game you will receive new messages every few seconds. Keeping on top of them and still having time to expand is almost impossible. People new to strategy games will probably find this game much too hard, long term gamers will still find it quite a challenge.

Rebellion is now available for £13 in the UK (called Supremacy), which is good value if your a strategy freak, otherwise steer clear.