Death and betrayal leave bitter tastes in the mouth. Major Sarah Parker has that taste. Too many soldiers under her command have died in the battle on Krig-7b. Once an employee of the Crayven Corporation, Parker – military tactician and troop commander – is now associated with mercenaries. Her former boss has tagged her with the nickname the “Butcher of Krig,” and vowed her destruction. They claim she is working for the very forces she was sent to Krig-7b to destroy, the Order of the New Dawn, but that is not quite true.

Yes, she did defeat both the Crayven Corporation and Order of the New Dawn. She has teamed with Deacon Jarred Stone. But Parker is not a hired gun any more. She is a warrior, bent on overthrowing terrorism and threats to the existence of the galaxy. And that threat is very real. There is a doomsday faction of the Order of the New Dawn that came away with the alien technology on Krig-7b – which was the reason for the war on that planet. This new faction wants to appease their god by using that technology to destroy all life in the galaxy.

Parker and a ragtag band of mercenaries are all that stand between that faction and annihilation of everything she knows. And there is a score to settle with certain members of the Crayven Corporation.

Ground Control: Dark Conspiracy is an expansion pack from Massive Entertainment, High Voltage Software and Sierra Studios. It picks up where Ground Control left off, and requires the original program to play. As part of the deal, Sierra is basically giving this expansion pack away. The product is free to owners of the original game, but you will be tagged for the shipping and handling fees.

So what do you get for the price? Fifteen new single player missions on three planets; new Crayven Corporation and New Dawn units; new weapons and teams; and better terrain graphics.

The game still features terradyne and aerodyne units, the same great camera flexibility, and easy control features. It is a real-time strategy program, with nice segues between missions, and each mission builds the storyline. The first mission is relatively simple. You must protect supply ships en route from an enemy base to the drop ship site. Through winding terrain, mountains and ambush sites, you will be torn between keeping your units together to clear the mountain paths, and staying at the base to fight Crayven Corp forces. It’s nothing to fret over, because if the base falls, it doesn’t matter. The supply ships are what count.

This program features four difficulty levels to allow players to set the challenge they desire.

The environmental graphics of this pack are outstanding. The details are smoothly rendered, whether viewing from the god perspective (high above the action) or ground level. The audio is still strong, and the game options are simple, but good. The controls of this program are player-friendly, and the game is easy to navigate through.

Ground Control: Dark Conspiracy is a great add-on to a fine RTS title. This program does allow multiplayer gaming, and is rated Teen for animated blood and animated violence.

Install: Easy. The program uses 450 megs of hard drive space, but you don’t use the CD to run the game. You will need to use the original Ground Control CD. Once Dark Conspiracy is loaded, you can access it through the Ground Control folder in the start menu, or your desktop icon.

Gameplay: 8. Smooth and seamless through each mission. The action is nonstop, unless you pause it for a breather. Combat happens on many fronts at once and the program allows for quick transitions from one front to the next.

Graphics: 9. Terrific environmental graphics, coupled with the solid unit elements, make this a visual treat.

Sound: 7.5. Nothing outstanding, but still the audio track is exactly what one would expect from this style of program.

Difficulty: 9. This program is a multi-strategy blast. You must be ready to employ flanking maneuvers, high-ground firing tactics, and even ambush techniques. Fortunately the range of difficulty levels will allow each player to customize the program to their skill level.

Concept: 6.5. This has been done before.

Overall: 8.5. Value-wise, you can’t beat an expansion pack like this. It updates the graphics and furthers the story while giving players a solid strategic experience. That Sierra is basically giving it away free is a big plus. The only downside is that players must have the original product in order to enjoy this outing.