I agree, embedding a browser doesn't seem lightweight at all. What it does give, however, is a common and comprehensive framework for laying out and styling you

I agree, embedding a browser doesn't seem lightweight at all. What it does give, however, is a common and comprehensive framework for laying out and styling your UI elements. Every web developer can now be a game UI designer. Some of the benefits I see with HTML+CSS(+JS) based UI: * Comprehensive feature set * Easy prototyping * Easy modding * No recompilation required * Web full of documentation & examples * Common skill for developers/designers The main disadvantage is probably the performance hit of having a full-blown browser engine in your game, but it seems to work OK for AAA games. I believe Anno 2070 uses Awesomium for some of its content: http://www.posidyn.com/games/anno2070/anno2070-09.jpg http://www.posidyn.com/games/anno2070/anno2070-09.jpg