Keeping track of all this complexity, the scale of the maps, the variety of the troops, the constant shifting of resources, troops and fronts, sounds exhausting. How can you possibly coordinate? It's time for Chris to intervene. "You need an overview; something more than a tactical map on the corner of the screen."

And so he starts to spin the mousewheel. Our viewpoint pulls back. And back. Now we can see the entire base. And we're still scrolling. Back further, and we see that advancing UFO; we're in trouble. Further back - the screen turns to an icon-heavy representation of the map - units and factories marked by symbols. But we're still not done.

Above: The "iconic" view is brilliant. Flank your enemy's entire frontline if you want

Finally, we can see everything: the loops of our radar coverage, the valleys, the oceans and all in between. The whole shape of the conflict. Sure, we're going to lose when that UFO opens up. But still. At least we know why.

Chris is chuckling now; he's loved seeing his game come to life. "That was just awesome. AWESOME. Nice try though." We'll be back for more. You can count on it.