More puzzle than strategy, Into the Breach comes with enough bells, whistles and giant robots to keep the formula fresh over repeat plays.

The basic controls are simple that this still serves as an excellent gateway experience to more complex wargames, but it also contains within it deep mechanics that require mastering and that can transform the game into a more complex experience. If you were a fan of the first game, you'll definitely like this one.

Rimworld is a new standard in survival/strategy sims, and has emerged from early access with grace. Now the REAL fun can begin...

Some strategy gamers will find this kind of forced immersion awful, others will lap it up. Fans of the original will already be familiar with it. They'll discover a smoother interface and a new setting in a new culture. Forgoing the traditional control and power fantasies of strategic empire-building is a hard habit to give up. But for those that can make the sacrifice, Six Ages holds a wealth of wonders few other games can match.

If you liked Panzer General and the original Panzer Corps, then PC2 is a must buy. The “more so” comes into play as regards gamers who may have bypassed these games in the past, considering them more beer and pretzels or generic mainstream strategy fare. PC2 has added just enough modifications to push the realism level into the wargaming proper category, giving a distinct WWII feel without sacrificing the elegant simplicity that made its ancestors famous.

One of the best real-time strategy releases of the year, despite a rather lack-lustre story. Mimimi does it again.

A really solid strategy-RPG, and an excellent sequel to Wasteland's 2. A bit rough around the edges, but still worth playing.

An admirable return to form, Valkyria Chronicles 4 feels like a safe bet for both newcomers and veteran commanders alike.

A worthy entry in the Total War franchise, Three Kingdoms gets a lot more right than it does wrong.

With its own objectives, mechanics, and campaign end-goals, Rise of the Tomb Kings is the best DLC in the whole Total War: Warhammer franchise.

I’ve never cared about the people under my command in any game more than in Frostpunk. The window-dressing isn’t perfect. Aspects of the experience are frustrating; a couple of failed games can leave one a tiny weeny bit annoyed. I am not even sure if some of the scenarios are even possible! Yet if the perfect game is a series of choices where every choice has meaning, then Frostpunk is it.

In the end, Two Point Hospital is one of the best strategy games of 2018, managing to surprise me with its extremely competent game design, amazing polish, and superb production values. It has a few faults, like any product, and all of them could be easily fixed by patches should the developers choose to. Regardless of changes, Two Point Studios debut title is a serious contender to the bastion of modern classics.

The Intrigue expansion is another win for Stardock, building GalCiv3 up to become a giant amongst space 4X games.

An admirable return to form, Valkyria Chronicles 4 feels like a safe bet for both newcomers and veteran commanders alike.

All in all, Curse of the Vampire Coast is yet another great DLC, worth the admission price to any fans of the factions. It is not as good as Rise of the Tomb Kings, as the lack of ship to ship battles and the boring, constant loop of field and siege battles that Warhammer II constantly devolves to doesn’t really lend itself to a pirate experience, but given what Creative Assembly was working with, Vampire Coast is surprisingly thorough.

The Banner Saga 3 is a great game, and crushing enemies both small and large, human and supernatural is still just as fun.

Chucklefish have a proven record of publishing great games and making great games and Wargroove is no exception. If the modding community takes hold then I can see this becoming one of my new favourite tactics games. And if you’re a fan of Advance Wars, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

I am extremely impressed with this little indie gem, and wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of strategy JRPGs. Especially, dare I say, to those of you who are looking for a true successor to Final Fantasy: Tactics. I am well aware of how ostentatious that may sound, but the praise is well earned here. Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark has earned my respect and admiration, and it deserves your time and attention. Go purchase this game, and support an indie developer who has seemingly done the impossible.

Big, busy and pretty, you can be confident of a good management game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so long as they can get past some certain disheartening design choices.

Planetfall sets some new standards for 4X games that would be wise not to ignore, and is an excellent start of a new strategy journey.

Veterans of the genre will love this mash-up, but newcomers will buckle under the weight. Writing aside, it’s a mighty fine attempt.

Gears is right at home in the Turn-based genre. A truly excellent tactical experience watered down slightly with mandatory side-quests and a lack of any strategic dimension.

When it comes to worth, Gathering Storm is fun, but hard to justify its full paying price of nearly £35. Unlike Rise and Fall’s multiple game changes involving timelines, eras, and mandates -- which effectively turn the game from a “live in the moment” endeavour to a proper long-term tailoring experience -- this new expansions mostly gives you more things to react to. Truth is, without Rise and Fall, Civ VI is still a worse game than Civ V, and with Gathering Storm alone, it’s not even in the same league at all.

All in all, Total War: Three Kingdoms - The Furious Wild expansion was a better experiment than I expected it to be. I am never particularly excited about animal or nature-focused factions -- Air Force boy here -- but this DLC features such an interesting mix of units and mechanics that washed the bad taste of Troy away from my most recent TW palate. From angry kings with axes and fire-wielding melee units to giant elephants and devastating shock-heavy tiger units, The Furious Wild brings the full breadth of nature to bear on the Three Kingdoms period -- and China is better for it.

Fantasy General II brings some modern additions to a tried and true formula in an engaging and challenging campaign. Overall - a great success.

A great expansion that enriches the main campaign while also being interesting to play in its own right. Some excellent new units, characters and mechanics.

An excellent new addition to Three Kingdoms DLC roster, and a great way to skip the early game if you want to get stuck in to something meatier.

The Last Autumn is as uncompromising and atmospheric as Frostpunk, but its real trick lies in making players relearn the game, and punishing them for underestimating it.