Earth 2150, from SSI and TopWare Interactive, is a real-time strategy sim that may tap an overworked plot line, but still delivers with incredible graphics, fast-paced action and layers of reasoning wrapped up in a nice package.

Utilizing wonderfully detailed three-dimensional graphics, the program is a delight to the senses.

The Earth is on the point of being totally uninhabitable. There are three factions left - the Lunar Corporation, the Eurasion Dynasty and the United Civilized States - each with dreams of snagging the remainder of the Earth’s resources and building the vessels that will help them escape the dying world. The target is to resettle on Mars, but in order to build those ships, the other corporations must be painted out of the picture.

What this game lacks in original storyline, it makes up for in multilayered play and incredible graphics. And, perhaps the best element of this program lies in the camera controls. You can pan, and zoom in depending on your mood. What you will see in the close-ups are vehicles that move realistically and are rich with details.

There are more than 70 missions available, and you can play as any one of the three factions. Of course, each faction has unique abilities and weapons, and each approach the final goal in a slightly different style.

In many regards, this program is much like other civ/battle games. You have to manage resources, build power plants, production plants and research weapons. Each cost money so you must avail yourself of the resources through mining. The more money you have, the more you can build. Everything costs in this world and if you run out of money, you are little more than a sitting target. But where this program excels is in the real-time aspect. Day changes to night, shadows lengthen and strategy can often rely upon using terrain features to hide your units within the darkness they harbor.

Earth 2150 features semi-intuitive game controls. You can take the in-game tutorial, which will walk you patiently through the functions of the game, but if you have journeyed into the genre before, you will know what to do. After learning which keys affect what actions, you can jump right into the campaigns, or into instant skirmish mode.

This is a stark planet, but the terrain is still well rendered. As you build, you can rotate the buildings so that the access to each is in a spot to ensure that your vehicles don’t have to work that hard to get their jobs done. You can also fight on four levels - the ground (of course), in the air, on water or below ground. And the destruction you cause can not only alter the landscape, but will devastate strategy. It does little good to have an underground tunnel network, if the bomb blasts above ravage or cave-in the tunnels.

You should be prepared to spend a lot of time in this game. Nothing, except for battle, happens very quickly. It can be frustrating waiting for reinforcements to be built while your units are taking it in the teeth on the battlefield. Like a lot of other games in this genre, Earth 2150 uses a square-type landscape system. You can set your mine on a resource and it will gather materials in adjacent squares. But there is no overlay, per se. The terrain is smooth and flawless. You can activate a grid-type system to see what areas are available around your units.

Earth 2150 is remarkable, challenging and enjoyable. This program demands that you look ahead and plan down the line. The immediate future may be in your reach, but what about beyond the construction. Are you prepared to be attacked or to attack? If not, the battle is over before it begins.

This program is rated Teen and supports multiplayer gaming through LAN or Internet play.

Install: Medium. Minimum install is 276 megs, while normal requires 336 megs and full is 786 megs of space. Not a lot, and not terribly exciting.

Gameplay: 8. This is real-time play done extremely well. Yes, you can get a little over-anxious waiting for units to build, but that is part of the joy of the program.

Graphics: 9.5. A wonderful day and night cycle, incredible detail on the units and great camera controls make this one of the better-looking RTS games to date this year.

Sound: 9. The sounds, from music to construction and battle, are terrific.

Difficulty: 9. As with most games in this genre, the goals are lofty but attainable. This requires careful planning, and the realization that strategy makes for a great sense of victory.

Concept: 7. Nothing really new to the storyline, but SSI does a nice job of rendering the game.

Overall: 9. This is one of the best of the war/domination-genre games to date in 2000. Three unique perspectives and a host of missions make this a program that can be played over and over again.