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The Xbox Live Arcade has been host to a plethora of board game adaptations by this point, but the king of all war games has been sadly absent. Come and go are the classic compilations and German fan favourites, but Risk has been nowhere in sight. However, Hasbro has finally seen fit to release an online adaptation of La Conquête du Monde with an updated rule set for fast online play. For those that have been waiting, this is now your day.

For those who’ve never played the tabletop version of Risk, it’s a game of world conquest. Players position themselves around territories on the world map and take turns getting frustrated at their terrible die rolls. The game ends when one player controls the entire globe or some petty compromise is made because the game has gone on for 5 and a half hours. It’s a trying experience and definitely not the easiest to play, despite the simplicity of it’s rules. Yet, those who play it always love it.

Risk: Factions offers up a 1:1 digital remake of the classic game, completely in-tact. For those that want the classic experience you’ll get it, so it’s safe to pack up the board and enjoy your squabbles for Asia online. You may miss the feeling of dice in your hands, but with the game keeping track of troops etc. (plus the removal of cheating) the game is marginally easier to play.

While the classic experience is fine and dandy it wouldn’t be worth the subtitle if Risk: Factions didn’t add anything new to the experience. In Faction mode players can enjoy some rather interestingly designed new maps as well as special perks earned by completing objectives or capturing particular placements on said map. The additions range from extra dice for attacking to the ability to completely take over a remote territory. Core gameplay gets quite a shakeup with these new mechanics and it makes for some rather interesting moments in the game. Players won’t always fight over what you think they will and it provides more ways to gain an edge in combat, keeping things fresh each play.

The single-player campaign is very short, a 5-level affair that has players taking the role of army commander for various fictional forces. If you’ve ever pretended those little black X’s on the board were robots or zombies, this is the game for you as both are playable races in the game. With each army themed, Stainless Games (Duels of the Planeswalkers), has seen fit to throw in a little visual splendor when attacks are issued pitting cartoon characters against one another in cute, if too long, animations.

Battle isn’t the only place the animations show up. The artists at Powerhouse Animation have crafted some surprisingly funny scenes to give context to the conflicts. The Texas based studio, who’s previous works include the Penny Arcade games and Kevin Smith’s Clerks: The Animated Series, breathe personality in to the game with the assistance of an all-Tim Babado (Halo’s 343 Guilty Spark) vocal cast. There’s a charm to the insanity of zombie/robot/yeti cartoons that most will love, but anyone expecting a traditional nation-based tale of power should lose their expectations.

Risk wouldn’t be Risk without a solid multiplayer setup and Risk: Factions delivers. Offering players the option between online or same-screen play. Matchmaking is helpful, pairing players of like-skill but online matches (like real life) often don’t reach a glorious conclusion with players either quitting or disconnecting partway through the match. This is absolutely a game that benefits from party play with friends as the matchmaking experience doesn’t really hold the same diplomatic metagame Risk is known for.

The experience is pretty much a flawless delivery on expectations, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect game. There are certain elements to playing Risk that just can’t be replicated in the online experience. Risk: Factions is a great strategy game to play by yourself or those friends who live far away. However, the time commitment required to play a full game is made all the more strenuous when you’re staring at a screen for hours on end. There are options to hasten gameplay, but for some cropping the experience is not an option and for those people the board game is still the best option.

Risk: Factions is a very well produced adaptation of the world’s best global conquest game. It may have gone down a somewhat bizarre route with the fantasy elements, but the cartoons are enjoyable and the theme doesn’t detract from the mechanics. The experience playing this title will range from person to person greatly. Risk: Factions is for people who like Risk, but don’t have the time or energy to commit to an entire evening of the game. For those who play Risk as a serious game will probably find the interface more hindering than helpful, but for most casual fans the options for quick matches will probably deliver their first complete game.

Risk: Factions was released on June 23 2010 for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.