If you were a die-hard MOO2 fan, then you might cry tears of joy as you customize your first race.

User Rating: 9.2 | Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords PC
Okay, let me say I was obsessed with MOO and MOO2. These games offer the ultimate replay value. Microprose who made the original Pirates game and Master of Magic just has knack for creating games that take a long time to get old.

When MOO3 came out I set aside time to just be at home and play it. I was ready. And it sucked. Really bad. But there was this little ad in the box for Galactic Civ. It was best part about MOO3, so when it came out I bought it and kept my fingers crossed for a faithful clone. It sucked too. No customized ships was a deal breaker.

Along comes GalCiv 2 and I have to say: Finally a true MOO2 clone!!! In a nutshell, if you like turn based empire games or science fiction in general, you can’t go wrong with this game. If you have a burning desire to explore strange new worlds, you cant go wrong with this game. If you were a die-hard MOO2 fan, then you might even cry tears of joy as you customize your first race.

This game is wonderful in every detail but I do have two gripes: The battles are simulated and not tactical. Most of the time tactical battles were a waste of time in MOO2 because tech level and fleet size could win the fight before you began. But it would be nice to see a turn based tactical engine in the game to allow for more unorthodox victories in space.

My other gripe is the music. Its great, but it skips a lot. But, since I patched the game, it seems to have cleared up this minor annoyance by about 95%.

Note: Im adding more gripes about this game for those who didnt agree with my glowing review. The tech tree is no where near as creative as it is in MOO2. I miss stellar converters, death rays, and black hole gens. ALOT. I hope more techs and tactical fighting are added in GalCiv3 and the sound effects could use a little love too.

Bottom line: Best turn based Sci-Fi game ever.