(Editor's Note: This review was revised 9/6/00 for minor corrections.)

Overconfidence is the hallmark of those doomed to taste failure. Unpreparedness is the foundation of utter defeat.

Those are the lessons of Dogs of War, a release from Talonsoft and Silicon Dreams.

This program is a nice blend of calculated real-time strategic warfare, with striking visual similarities to civ classical games such as Age of Empires. The plot may be a little shop-worn, but the programmers have paid attention to the details of graphical elements, audio and making the controls easy to use in creating a final product that plays well and looks great.

The program is played from one of three sides, the Imperial Order, the WarMonkeys or the monstrous Mantai. The former is vying for control of a piece of dusty rock known as Primus. This planet is a source for the highly valued SL18, a radioactive alloy regarded for its strength. The Imperial Order, which is a vast empire headquartered on Earth, wants it and is willing to decimate the population of Primus to get it. The WarMonkeys are mercenaries, people fighting simply for the sake of battle in the name of the planet. Throw in a primitive turtle-dinosaur type creature, reminiscent of a Godzilla monster with an instinct for little more than survival and ridding its world of these intruders, and you have a creature that attacks either side indiscriminately.

Regardless of which side you choose to represent, you will be thrust into a mission-driven program. The Imperial Order doesn’t believe in the Mantai, and thinks the WarMonkeys are little more than target practice. The WarMonkeys respect the arsenal of the Imperial Order, but must rely on strategy to attack and defeat the superior forces.

The most stunning aspect of the graphical elements in this program is the way the planet is depicted. While troops and weaponry play out like so many other games, the planet of Primus is a barren dustbowl, resplendent with valleys and impenetrable mountain ranges, deep chasms and stark, yet well-rendered buildings.

The audio of the program is solid. The music is pounding, the vocal characterizations appropriately serious.

The commands are intuitive and easy for those familiar with games in the war/civ genre. The command menu is called a GUI (or ‘gooey’), and is displayed across the bottom of the screen. A mouse click draws up any number of options quickly. There is a map overview of the mission area, which is nicely sliced away in three-dimensional mode. Using that option enables you to scan around the area quickly. Camera controls make navigating the world a treat, and you can view action in the sniper mode for some up-close combat kills.

Each mission begins with a briefing, followed by assembling of units for the action. There is a debriefing after each attempt. Sometimes, especially if your performance was less than stellar, the text is not only direct, but also harsh.

This is a product that disdains the reflexive and focuses on the cerebral. You must think through each mission, position units right, and take nothing for granted. Even a tiny force of WarMonkeys can emerge victorious over a superior, yet lackadaisical force of Imperial troops.

There is a tutorial for the newcomers to this style of gaming, though it is quite simplistic.

While the plot is a rehash of so many other programs, the game is very nice graphically.  It does challenge game players, and the combat is nicely rendered.

Dogs of War is rated for mature players (ages 17 and over) for animated blood and animated violence.

Install: Medium. This program will eat about 650 megs of hard drive space.

Gameplay: 7.5. Smooth  transitions in-mission allow for seamless play. The game boards are a good size and take some maneuvering.

Graphics: 7.5. While the combat units are a little on the average side, the rendering of the planet Primus is terrific.

Sound: 7. The sound elements are well done, but not exceptional.

Difficulty: 7.5. This is a program that will have you thinking on the move.

Concept: 6. Yep, another battle for a planet with the big guys underestimating the tenacity of the little guys. Even the mantai, as an unknown third party, has had other incarnations in similar programs.

Overall: 7. While the program may not be fresh, the graphics are very good. The game moves along at a nice pace, and is challenging. While this game may have a spot in the war genre, what boosts it from the average title is the combination of excellent graphics and solid game play.