The idea of the game is space exploration, colonization and of course…war. There can be up to 7 computer-controlled races competing for the same resources, artifacts and goals that you are.  There are 4 different ages that you can research technology in. Each age has a limited number of artifacts and discoveries that must be found to advance to the next age. There are over 150 technologies to discover with 8 weapon families. You can speed up research by training scientists. Each star system (up to 100) has 1-4 planets in each one. Some star systems are actually connected through wormholes.

You start off with only the knowledge of your star system. Use sensors to find new stars to unlock secrets before the other players do. Not only do you have the other players trying to compete for resources; you have pirates trying to steal the as well. You can actually fund pirates to keep them off your back and pick on the other players. War is not the only answer. You can form alliances, federations and non-aggression pacts with the other players. Though you can only ally with one other player, you can have many non-aggression pacts. You can also build a spy network to collect information.

SU shines when it comes to customization. You can customize your starships with a balance of power, shields and weapons. As one can imagine there is a trade off involved so trial and error is the best way to see what works. Some ships will be better suited for special missions, like research or production, while others will be better modified for defense or assault. As your technology grows you can refit your ships with the latest weapons and technology. You can also customize your worlds for specific tasks and colonize them as well.

SU delivers a game that can be paused, slowed down, or sped up at the player's discretion. One nice thing is that the game will automatically pause when an important event occurs so you don't miss out. Because there can be so much going on, this feature great and wish more games incorporated this feature. You can also toggle how much control you have over your ships by adjusting the computer AI. (Another cool feature)

When it comes to tactics, there are so many factors and options involved that it would be hard to try and duplicate any game. I have a bittersweet love affair for this new title. Though the options and settings seem endless, it can be a little daunting at first. There are a lot of helpful hints on what you should do, but not a whole lot on how to execute them. Admittedly this is not exactly my cup of tea. I love options but I like games that I can pretty much be off and running in a half-hour. For those players who would rather opt for full control of just about anything this game is for you. Though the game may lack some stunning visual and audio effects, it will more than make up for it in control of gameplay.

Install: Easy
Pretty fast install.

Gameplay: 8
I give it about an hour and a half learning curve. Interface takes some getting used to.

Graphics: 7
Nothing spectacular but not terrible either.

Sound: 7
Average at best.

Concept: 8
Nice combination of real time strategy and turn based control.

Overall: 7.5
Nothing special about the graphics or sound. Learning curve is quite steep, but once you get it down can be quite addicting. Multiplayer would greatly enhance replay ability.