This game from Germany's ASCARON Entertainment uses the action of an online shooter to emphasize the sporting side of real-time strategy gaming. Instead of the pastoral territories of a medieval fantasy realm, or the unclaimed wilderness of a distant planet, opponents battle in large arenas where their efforts entertain an enthusiastic public.

Unlike most RTS games, opponents don't set out to simply destroy one another's bases or units; players compete to be first to accomplish certain goals in each match. These objectives vary by game type and the three different modes, "Capture the Flag," "Bombing Run," and "Double Domination," should be familiar to most online first-person shooter fans.

Much like the fast-paced games that inspired these modes of play, Arena Wars is designed with online multiplayer gaming in mind. Two-on-two matches can be played over a local network or the Internet, and up to eight players can compete on the game's dedicated servers, with room for four additional observers. Single-player gaming is also supported, with six different tournament campaigns and more than 60 individual scenarios. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide