Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge

If you're a die-hard fan of strategy games, there's been no real reason to buy a Vita over, say, a tablet device.

Sony's handheld just hasn't had that many out-think-'em-ups, whereas on tablets there's a truckload of titles to tickle your tactical taste buds.

Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge isn't a system-seller, but if you're on the fence about buying a Vita because it lacks games with brains, this may be your chance to step off.

There is only war (and zombies)

This isn't a grand strategy game - nor is it even a comparatively small experience like Red Alert. Zombie Tycoon 2 is closer to a Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command, albeit played out in real-time rather than that in turns.

This means you have far fewer units, and each of them is assigned to a face button for ease of command. It also means that there are theoretically fewer opportunities to 'Zerg rush' - i.e. overwhelm opponents through sheer numbers - through the solo campaign and multiplayer portions.

That's the theory, at least. In practice the gameplay still encourages these sorts of tactics: you spawn more units from your single command unit should your zombies bite the dust (again), which effectively gives you infinite units to use as cannon fodder.

Hanging back and sending out a single squad to do your graft while another stays behind to provide the defence is a slow but almost guaranteed path to victory.

I found this to be the case in multiplayer, too: there's an initial rush to build up a meter in the top-right of the screen (which displays how large a horde of zombies you can call on) through capturing buildings on the map.

Then you kill NPC enemies to unlock skills. Then you probably stumble upon your opponent and throw everything you have at him. Supreme Commander this ain't.

Requires some brains

That said, there is some depth to be found Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge. Zombie units can be turned into specialists by capturing certain buildings. For example, you can change standard zombies into engineers and they'll be able to open doors to new areas.

The controls work well, too, with smooth camera movement around the black and green hues of the obliterated lands you attempt to overrun. You can also zoom-out to a tactical map at any time to see where you need to be headed next, or to keep an eye on units in faraway areas.

And there's a strong sense of humour running through the story. You play as the titular tycoon who, and you can't help but root for this character despite the fact that he brought about a zombie apocalypse while fumbling for world domination.

The small scale fracas might be a little light for those wanting a truly epic strategy game, but Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge is nevertheless an enjoyable attempt at bringing the genre to handheld.