Usually when I wake up in a cold sweat, screaming and with a look of dread across my face, I've been dreaming about playing a strategy game on a console. This probably happens quite often when facing the same situation with an FPS – but hey, I'm not going to sound like some sort of decrepit broken down record playing the same tune about how PC's are just well...right, when it comes to some genres.

However, Halo Wars, the new prequel strategy from Bungie in the Halo series is actually pretty good. There, I've said it OK? I wasn't expecting it to actually play in any semblance of a strategy game that I would expect if playing it on the PC – and sure, in some respects it's not, but it does the job of convincing me that, while perhaps cut down, strategies have potential on consoles.

It may take me some time to come to terms with that statement.

While I slot that thought into the appropriate hole in my head filed “You hypocritical bastard” I suppose I'd better waffle on about what the game's actually about. As already said, it's a prequel to the trilogy we've all come to know (and some to love) in the Halo series. As always, the Covenant are up to no good, causing trouble in the neighbourhood (sorry Will), and after fighting over the same important bits of land for several years, it's all about to get ugly. Well, uglier.

Us lot had spent 5 years trying to capture the planet “Harvest”, but the Covenant, those crazy kids, fought back and pretty much now have it in their control again. So it's over to us, or rather you, to once again try and push them back to whatever freaky alien place they came from. On the way you'll discover that there's more to what's motivating the Covenant into action and all the usual twists and turns you've come to require.

Halo Wars approaches strategy in a way that other developers approach and FPS on a console. In all seriousness, gameplay aside, you can't expect to pack in all the quick keys, build commands and team management onto a controller. So what Bungie have done is simplify a lot of those situations to provide a force that's easy to manage. When you get a base, everything's done in the one spot. This base can be expanded to include facilities, and as you have limited slots to build in, you get to choose what angle you're going for. If you run out of space, you need a new base (poet and didn't know it). Each facility performs different rolls, and can be built at a cost by bringing up the base menu. You might build structures to bring in a steady income, or power plants to power your tech. You might decide to go land and require structures to build infantry and vehicles, or build one to provide air support.

The point being is that rather than relentless resource management and structure placement, it's all provided by your base that even has a quick D-Pad assignment to get you there in a flash (or move around multiple bases should you have them). Because the base manages itself pretty well you can concentrate on doing what's needed with your forces. While I might still miss some of the team management and tactics I've got used to over the years, they've at least made it so you can select all of your force, just what's on screen, a small radius of units achieved by holding down the select button, or individual units (or groups). Generally speaking this is all you need.

While at times I might feel the Halo universe to look a little flat, the interesting thing to see is the physics that are retained from the FPS versions of the game. The first time I saw a Warthog (Jeep-like vehicle) fly off of a ridge I couldn't help but feel that was something I didn't get to see in a lot of strategies and it was actually pretty cool. That side of things is generally not something I can fault. The look and feel of the game, the epic music and the cutscenes... well, they're just something else. Nice to have Microsoft pumping some money your way.

You'll make your way through 15 levels of campaign, which you can also do in co-op multiplayer via net play or system link. Rather unfortunately, the Covenant are playable, but only in multiplayer skirmish mode, rather than seeing things through their perspective in a campaign mode. The Flood make an appearance too, but aren't playable full-stop. Whether there's even enough of a race variance to turn them into something playable I couldn't say.

Something you may also notice, from a replayablity factor, are collectables dotted throughout the levels. The packages provide insight into the Halo world in a time-line section of the menu and the skulls you find can be used to turn on advantages and disadvantages which lower or raise your score respectively, and can be activated through an in-game menu.

I made my way through the entirety of the game without much of a hitch. A couple of levels had to be replayed, but I never felt completely at a loss as to what I had to do. There's nothing worse than being frustrated in a strategy as if you choose the wrong one that can sometimes be a good 30-45 minutes down the drain. You can always save if you've made some decent progress in the game, but be aware that if you restart that level you'll lose the save.

Overall I'd say this is a solid go at a strategy. One that even I have to admit plays better than I would've expected from an objective point of view. Trust me when I say I'm not converted by any means, but if a console's what you've got and strategy's your thing then this is well worth a play.