Gate 88 combines the graphics of old school games, and adds some well-deserved strategy to the fading genre. There is a single player mode, but the online multiplayer is the main attraction.

The premise of the game is simple: Build a base, and kill the other players' bases. If I had to put Gate 88 into a genre, it'd be an space action game mixed with an RTS game. You build turrets, build resource generators, and build shipyards. What makes it different from a regular RTS is that you're actually a unit. You fly around in a little space ship while laying buildings and shooting the other players' units. It's a perfect mix of strategy and action. The game is deceivingly simple, but the underlying strategy makes the replay value high. Should you build factories to get resources, or attack fast to gain money? Should you build up your base with turrets, or should you build ships to attack with? These are the types of choices you'll have to make in Gate 88. The variety of strategies keeps the game fresh.

At first, the controls take a bit of getting used to, but after a game or two, you'll be breezing through the menu, building turrets like mad. To access the menu, you hold the "A" key and press different directions for different submenus. After playing the game for a couple of hours, it really becomes second nature. It's almost like the combos for a fighting game. I want to make a ship yard? Hold "A" and press left, down, right. Very slick.

The graphics in Gate 88 are simple, but very savvy. Everything is made out of basic circles and lines, but they look amazing in motion. Every building is oscillating and twirling about, and the blur effect after dying looks really cool. The graphics may not appeal to everyone, but I personally thought they were very well done.

And for a freeware game, the music is exceptional. I actually put the music from the game folder in my WinAmp playlist. It's got a techno-ish sound, with very catchy beats. Even if the game was unplayable, I'd still give it a five out of ten just for the music.

All in all, Gate 88 is a game you should not pass up. The action's frantic, the strategy is deep. What more could you ask for?