The Basics:
Platform: PC
Developer: Stardock
Price: $39.99
ESRB rating: E10

Summary: One of the smartest strategy games you can buy.

Note: The battle sequences in Galactic Civilizations II have lasers shots and explosions; however, they are shown from a third-person perspective. Larger space battles are shown in a cinematic-style sequence, but the player does not directly control any of the action. The storyline of the Dark Avatar sequel involves two branches of an evil civilization-one faction determined to exterminate all other civilizations, the other attempting to "rescue" them in order to enslave them. All in all, however, the game's educational value is very high, with plenty of opportunities for kids (and adults) to learn about economics, government, diplomacy and trade.

Families can talk about the pacing of strategy games versus first-person-shooters or even real-time-strategy games. Is it just as fun to play a game that requires paying more attention to details than making snap decisions? What parts of a strategy game make it exciting to play? This game has a really good AI, but it doesn't let you play against friends. Does that make it less interesting to play? Why?

Further Breakdown:

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Best for ages: 10+
Playability: Hard. Several hour learning curve
Graphics: High. Adjustable to your PCs ability.
Reading Level: High

Ages 3-7: Yellow
Ages 8-12: Green
Ages 13-17: Green
Violence Amount: Yellow
Fear: Green
Illegal/harmful: Green
Language: Yellow
Nudity: Green
Sex: Green

Review:
Galactic Civilizations II Gold Edition, which includes the original Dread Lords campaign and the Dark Avatar expansion, is a masterpiece of strategy game playing. Starting with a small sector of the galaxy, players need to build their civilization into a galactic empire through trade, diplomacy, espionage and strategic uses of force.

A campaign mode tells a somewhat convoluted story of Drengin's, Terran Alliances and other civilizations, but most players will skip past the short cutscenes to get into the meat of defeating what is probably some of the smartest AI ever put into a video game.

At the easiest levels, the AI lets players learn the fairly complex set of controls and options without too much harassment. At the hardest levels the AI can be brutal. It's quick to take control of the best planets, makes unpredictable alliances to throw the balance of power off, and basically plays like a human opponent-only one that has been playing for a long time and has a lot of tricks up their sleeve. In fact, the AI is so human-like, it shouldn't be too hard for players to forgive the fact that the game doesn't have any type of multi-player gameplay.

The game establishes a nice balance between letting players manage their empire and not become weighed down by the details as the empire grows. A few simple slider bars control how much players tax their civilization and then distribute that money into production of military, social and research projects. Plenty of graphs, charts and timelines help players figure out on a turn-by-turn basis the best way to fine tune their expansion.

Exploration, researching new technologies and engaging in diplomatic negotiations are the most important parts of the game. It is completely possible to win the game without fighting a single battle. However, most players, even ones who are trying to win through peaceful means, will occasionally find themselves in a conflict.

Players hoping to influence the result of a conflict with fancy flying or sharp-shooting accuracy will be disappointed. Once a battle starts the computer takes over entirely, merely letting the player watch as the results play out.

To make it a little more interesting, players can choose to have the computer display the battle in a semi-cinematic style, but it still doesn't allow the player to control any of the ships, etc. during the fight. A player who hopes to win the game through force has the best chance by researching military technologies and using them to build more powerful space ships before individual battles even begin.

One of the best features of the game is that it is so incredibly replayable. Beyond the campaign mode, the free-play mode lets players select from dozens of options to pick and choose the type of game they would like-from a couple hour, afternoon cakewalk, to a weeks-long tug of war between nine different opponents. Plus, the game lets players use the technologies they research to design and build their own custom space ships, which adds even more flexibility.

Overall Galactic Civilizations II is a fun to and worthwhile addition to any strategist's collection. Players looking to play a historical strategy game might like Civilization IV instead.