STORY
Domination is an open source computer game, based on the classic board game of Risk.  Risk, for those of you who didn't know, is a board game in which you have to dominate the world by invading other countries and placing your troops strategically. 

Domination takes that idea, and expands on it.  There are three Game Types for you to choose from.  'Domination' is where you have to try and conquer the world, so you are the only player left.  'Capital' is where you get to choose your Capital area, and you must defend your Capital from invaders, and at the same time, you must conquer all other players' Capital.  'Mission' is where you get a secret Mission Card, and you must carry out that mission - you might be told to conquer some land, or you may even have to conquer an opponent's troops.  Select all the other options to your preference (for example, which map to use, how many players etc), then when you are satisfied, click on 'Start Game'. 

Now the game starts proper.  Each player is given X amount of troops, and then takes turns in choosing countries and placing said troops, keeping in mind his or her objectives.  When all troops have been placed, players can then choose to attack other countries simply by rolling the dice (and the defender does the same).  Whoever gets the highest number on the dice, wins that round.  When it's your turn, regardless of which type of game you are playing, you are given extra troops to place, to fortify your land.  The more land you have, the more extra troops are given to you.  You can also collect game cards by winning land, and these cards can be traded for more troops. 

GAMEPLAY
Domination needs Java installed, in order to play it, and it can be downloaded from http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp .  The game is entirely mouse-controlled, so it is easy to use.  First of all, you have to decide if you want to start a new game, load a previously Saved game, read the Help Manual, join an online game (yes, you can even play against real people, online), or start your own online game.  After that, you are taken to the Game Setup screen, so you can choose which options you want to play with.  You can choose which map you would like to play on, as well as which card set to use (although not all card sets are available for all maps).  You can have up to 5 opponents, and each player can either be human or computer controlled.  So you can play against your friends, or you can play against the computer.  If you are not happy with an opponent, simply 'Remove' it.  When you are happy with your choices, simply click on 'Start Game'.  There is no sound in Domination, which is a shame, but you can just put on a suitable cd to listen to instead. 

Now, as I said earlier, the goal is to invade other countries.  You can do this by clicking on one of your countries, and then clicking on a neighbouring country (you must have at lease two troops in your country, before you can attack).  If you defeat the enemy, you can choose how many troops to move, or even move them all.  You can attack as many countries as you like per turn, and when you have finished, you a given the chance to move some troops to a better location, in order to fortify your land.  As you conquer land, you are given cards which can be traded for more troops.  But you can only trade them if you have one of each kind (cannon, soldier or horse), or three of the same kind.  Each player takes it in turns to attack, move troops etc, and the first player to achieve their objective, be it conquering the world, defeating another player's Capital, or completing a mission, is the winner.  It's a very addicting game, and you will find yourself playing again and again, determined to win. 

GRAPHICS
First thing you will notice about Domination is the number of maps available to you.  You get to choose from an impressive 13 maps - Ameroki, Eurasien, Geoscape, Lord Of The Rings (my favourite, lol), World War, Risk, Europe, Roman Empire, S.E.R.S.O.M., Teg, Tube (railways), UK and World.  And if that's not enough for you, you can even download extra maps to play with.  You also get a choice of 7 card sets - Ameroki, Eurasien, Lord Of The Rings, No Mission, Risk, Europe, and Roman Empire. 

The amount of troops in each area is shown by a coloured circle with a number in it, and attacking troops are shown by an arrow, leading to the place it is attacking.  You can check what cards you have, as well as your mission (mission cards are shown as a pop-up) at any time, simply by clicking on the appropriate button at bottom of screen.  You can also undo a move if you wish, or go to the main menu (where you can save game, close game, or read the game manual). 

SUMMARY
Domination is an excellent Risk-clone, that anyone can play again and again.  There are three game types, which offers a bit of variety, and you get a large variety of maps and card sets to choose from.  Any combination of humans, and computer opponents can play, with a maximum of six players.  Troops are placed, or attack, with the simple click of a mouse.  The dice even spin, which I thought was a nice touch. It's a pity there is no sound, but you can't have everything.  Domination is one of these games that you just keep coming back to, time and time again.