If chess had been invented in 1986 by a Norwegian heavy metal fan, it might have resembled the virtual boardgame at UHR-Warlords's heart.

This a no-nonsense, hardcore, deep fantasy strategy game, and anyone wondering if it's a bit like Kingdom Rush is likely to receive a giant's club to the head.

Only the stout of heart need apply

If that makes UHR-Warlords sound daunting, well, it is. And it isn't for you.

This is unapologetically full-on stuff, making no concessions for those without the battle-hardened tactical instincts that years of playing strategy boardgames or hardcore strategy video games instils.

Well, okay, there's a pretty clear tutorial. But knowing how UHR-Warlords works doesn't mean you know how to play it. I can happily tell you the ins and outs of gameplay, for example, but I still suck at the game.

Presented with a 7x7 game grid, you take it in turns with your opponent (AI or human) to use up your Uhrkraft points. This magical currency enables you to summon warriors one at a time, and to send previously summoned heroes off on tactical manoeuvres.

World of Uhrkraft

Each playing piece - dragged onto the board and conjured into life through a small deck of cards spread along the bottom of the screen - has its own unique way of moving and attacking, much like in chess.

The Ranger moves in diagonals but fires his bow in straight lines - the ideal sniper. The Assassin is extremely weak, but can cover the whole board (Uhrkraft permitting) and kill with one strike from behind.

Then you have a winged Beast, who can fly over units, and the Shaman who has no attack properties but can heal other units simply by being around them. There are also recharging direct attack cards for when you need an instant strike.

You can win by killing ten enemy units, but getting to your opponent's side of the screen and destroying one of its base units counts for two.

Knight moves

The sheer range of tactical possibilities these varied tools open up is impressive, and it needs to be.

This is a fairly drab, plain game. It's not ugly, and there's an undoubted level of artistry to these detailed virtual figurines. But it's all very typical and, dare we say it, unimaginative fantasy stuff.

UHR-Warlords is relatively free of novelties and radical rule shifts, too. It leans heavily on its core rule-set, and its customisable decks. The positioning of bonus Uhrkraft hotspots varies, but it's essentially uninterested in mixing things up. That's your job.

There's enough scope here to keep boardgame buffs and hardcore fantasy strategists entertained for tens of hours - especially in multiplayer mode.

The uninitiated can either get their heads down and swot up, or move on to something easier, prettier, and more immediate. The choice is that binary.