You and your army have captured a city on a distant planet. With this one city as your base you use it to expand your empire across this alien planet. The city is used to build air, land and sea transport, while it can also train more troops. Any transport or troops outside the city can be ordered to move, attack or hold their position. Dark Empire is a strategy war game. The game is viewed from above and shows just a small part of the planet. You can only see the areas you have explored. All units are shown as an icon. The joystick moves your cursor around the map while the fire button when on a city or a unit will allow you to give your next order. Also on screen is how many cities you hold and how many turns.