Forged Alliance manages to up the scale on an already impressive game, adding a new race for multiplayer with the Seraphim class, and amping up the single player campaign this time around with the assumption that most players will already know what they're doing. Gas Powered Games has also done a fine job of fixing the initial complaints about the interface, with a much more streamlined and easy to manage appearance.

If you had a difficult time acclimating yourself to the original, you won't have much luck here either. Forged Alliance plops you down square in the middle of all the action, and while it can be a bit overwhelming when you first pull out for a long shot of the gameplay, if can be incredibly rewarding to make it all come together.

I've played a fair share of RTS games, both based in real events and games with a sci-fi / fantasy theme, but I have yet to play a title that manages the over all scope of Supreme Commander, and the same holds true for Forged Alliance. Needless to say, if you were a fan of the original, you'll really get a kick out of this one.

How does the single player campaign hold up? Like I mentioned, one of the faults that a lot of folks had with the first game is that things started off a bit slowly. This one doesn't suffer from that, as the events pick up after the end of the first one, and deliver on the threat that was hinted at from the ending quite well. As the name implies, the three factions from the original are now on team-up mode, combining forces to battle against the otherworldly threat that's penetrated their space. That's the main gut of the story, and it will manage to keep you occupied for a decent amount of time. You'll have six missions to play thru with the three main factions, each giving you a particular vantage point of the action.

Of course, Forged Alliance's main draw comes in the form of the multiplayer experience. The new class is only playable here, and offers up a distinct visual style along with some incredibly interesting new units that become available as you advance thru a particular match. Gone are the long wait times that would accompany some of the larger builds for all factions, so now matches can be bit more fast and frantic than they were before.

Forged Alliance also features some souped up visuals from its predecessor, and the new Seraphim designs are definitely appealing to the eye. However, as you advance thru the game you'll spend less and less time enjoying the up close action, since you'll be commanding the field from afar.

All together Forged Alliance improves upon specific aspects of the original Supreme Commander, and the new Seraphim class adds quite a few new options to the multiplayer modes. Unfortunately new players will be a bit lost in the action, and there isn't enough of a change between this expansion and the original that will bring in those that didn't enjoy the initial release. Still, it's a solid first expansion for the series, and if you can get a handle on the large-scale mechanics you'll definitely enjoy it.