At retail this game was tethered by starforce, and was already buggy. Time after release its not yet free of these bugs, but for anyone with the native skills built up playing rts games this will offer something different.
The structures are the main issue of war fighting, placed in a way resonate of a board game you need to think ahead and make contingencies in a way many faster rts games will lack. You still have units, and they are still vital, but they are morphable, going from one form to another at command and so simply become a tool for navigating the threats laid out by the enemy units and capitalising on the weaknesses in the structures.
This game isnt perfect, hell to read plot, unwinable mission bugs and demaning (for its age) requirements.
Like chess and rts? Try a demo first though, i'd say, bu ti think the demo carried starforce.
If GOG start offering drm free demos grab the demo though.