Warhammer, the tabletop fantasy franchise featuring armies of intricately hand-painted figurines, has been a mainstay of PC gaming since it was first adapted in the early 90s. There have been dozens of games of varying quality, with its recent Total War crossover a particular highlight.

Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters is a turn-based strategy game in the vein of 2012's XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Players take command of a group of space marines and manoeuvre them around planet surfaces using action points to locate and engage enemies, then hunker down until the next round. SImilar to XCOM, these skirmishes are only half the battle: back onboard their strike cruiser, players must engage in diplomacy, research upgrades and further manage their platoons' abilities.

The Warhammer aesthetic is authentically translated, including the various disgusting Nurgle mutations that increasingly plague the land. And it's tactically rich with a wonderful physicality; the environment is heavily destructible and new strategies are easily formed.

Away from the battlefield, rough cutscene animations betray a modest budget. Likewise, while Andy Serkis lends his indisputable vocal skills to the cast, the audio is often left wanting: the quality of voice talent varies and there's a disconcerting lack of ambient sound. But these issues are relatively small, dwarfed by its enthralling tactical gameplay which will appeal to fans and newcomers alike.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is out now on PC.