RTS game that is absolutely not LACKING in tatics- Company of Heroes. May be my favorite RTS game ever played. WW based though.

"Tactical" as opposed to "RTS", in my mind, means "pause and issue orders, resume" games...else you would have specified turn based strategy. Unless you just mean pure battles without resource management and teching. In either case, I think youre looking for the Total War games, Rome or the recent Medeival 2. Both are great after patching.

Civilization 4 is a pretty good game for turn-based or as you say, "tactical" game.

I may be biased a little about it, but when it comes to tactical level battles (ground based strategy) there is a single reference in my mind; X-Com_UFO-Defense or even its follow-up version Terror from the Deep.

Now you'd certainly feel waaaaaayyyy off the high quality technical graphics of recent games since these are, afterall, old & use very low-res type of isometric battlefields (running in a DosBox quite well, in fact)... but, actually, the Tactical effects are extremely well balanced and rendered by the engine and/or the gameplay elements in such a way that i defy anybody to find a BETTER_MORE_SATISFYING ground combat experience in any other games.

When Aliens invade and start terrorizing cities & ports, the context is truly amazing and the indirect process of "soldiers" movement as **Hidden** & at times during darkened nights where the tilesets really do add mystery to the whole activities -- must be one of the most fantastic context i've ever been into.

Want TRUE tactics and a clear shot at pretty swift and smart squads of numerous Alien races? Plenty of weaponry, Bases to conquer, UFOs to shoot down with Interceptors_Firestorms, Dispatch the ultimate aircraft to investigate & capture enemies, Manage Scientific research & Manufacture stockpiles of armements, Develop a slick network of Earth defensive bases... name it, it's all there.

Simply, get yourself a copy of X-Com.

Armageddon Empires has some great strategic capabilities. It doesn't cost much, there's a demo, and it's an indie game. I wish they'd get together with Stardock. System requirements are also very, very low.

Here's a link from a satisfied buyer (me).

http://www.crypticcomet.com/games/AE/armageddon_empires.html

Do a search for Ufo Afterlight although the game is more than just ground combat.It is strategy as well.

Here is a link.
http://www.ufo-afterlight.com/pages/hq.html

Talking of X-Com: What would it take to get Stardock give us a similar game, possibly with different tech trees depending on earth area to defend, possibly multi-player - think individual cells earthwide that struggle together to get the mounting alien invasion under control, a story-line expanding through downloads, missions that are randomized so every time you play a mission it feels new, making it challenging to keep your characters alive, and great advancement options for your characters.

Oh, and instead of burning money on graphics, make it run on "normal" PCs, too.

A new X-Com in Stardock/GCII quality? I'd immediately pre-order with the next three expansions.

that Armagedon game looks simply amazing, are there any more like it that people would care to share?

GGGGGGGROUND CONTROL, BITCHES!

Seriously, though. Ground Control was a freakin' great 'tactical'-ish strategy game. Tactical in the sense that you do control your characters on a very close level, and tough as nails in that you only get a certain amount of backup soldiers - you don't have an academy or the like where you can spawn the suckers out as quick as you can. And hey - it's even sci-fi.

Man, I really want to play that game again. As in right now.