It would be very easy to ignore a series like Galactic Civilizations II. I am living proof.

Consider that I am a huge fan of space, strategy, and space strategy PC games. In other words, I am a huge nerd. But sitting down to play Galactic Civilization II: Twilight of the Arnor, having never played a game in the series, I figured this old, low budget, turn-based title wouldn't interest me. I always thought of it like I do outdoor sports: I'm sure the game is fun, but it looks like way too much work, thank you.

Just a few turns, I figured, then back to Liberty City.

But those few turns gave way to a hundred. Then a thousand. Countless hours melted away before my eyes, replaced by burned-in images of battlecruisers, research trees, and galactic maps.

I woke up sometime in the future, on the other side of a time warp-hole, behind on my work and really, really in need of a bathroom. It was then that I knew I'd discovered the most addictive game since, well, that other Civilization series.

Of course, I am very late to the party. In that sense, this review is more of a belated invitation. Stardock has gotten a lot of attention lately for publishing Ironclad's hit RTS/strategy hybrid Sins of a Solar Empire, but as their name subtly indicates, the company has been steadily building its own space strategy games for years. The original Galactic Civilization II: Dread Lords was released back in 2006, and Twilight of Arnor marks the second, and final, expansion.

The series has been a quietly celebrated one, and it's easy to see why. Focusing purely on turn-by-turn galactic conquest, GalCiv sets itself apart with an impressive AI and a deep set of features. This isn't about fancy real-time 3D battles, or elaborate multiplayer modes, or any of that extraneous nonsense. It's about slowly developing an empire from nothing, exploring the outer reaches of space, and then, before the other aliens, conquering that space with an iron fist.

As in other 4X titles, achieving success in GalCiv is all about finding a balance between conquest, research, culture, and diplomacy. At first, this can seem intimidating. While not as daunting as something like Space Empires V, Stardock's title is not exactly user-friendly at first glance. It seems a mess of buttons and option boxes and graphs, a galactic spreadsheet of a game.

After about 30 minutes, however, anyone familiar with Civilization-style games will have it down. What at first seems an overly complicated mess of buttons quickly turns into a manageable mix of planetary governance and spaceship command. You colonize a few worlds. You do a little research. You build an improvement on this planet, you launch a spaceship from that one. You hit the "turn" button, watch your rivals counter every move you made, and then you do it all over again--all to the sound of a calming, spacey score. That is, until your nextdoor neighbor launches an interstellar invasion.

As your galactic influence pushes your borders outward, some other intelligence is likely to take notice. Making war in GalCiv is another balancing act. Battleships and fighters will act as troop transport escorts, neutralizing enemy fleets and planetary defenders before the invasion.

The method of invasion is the most important decision, ultimately determining how much of a planet you are willing to destroy in order to level the playing field for your side. Information warfare leaves the planet intact, but costs cash, and may not tilt the odds in your favor. Gassing or plain bombardment is a surer way to victory, but you risk substantial damage to the final prize. Once landed, actual troop combat is totally simulated in what amounts to a die-roll. It's a little anticlimactic, but given the alternative of a shoehorned RTS component, I prefer Stardock's solution.

Outside of pure domination, galactic administrators will be faced with choosing planetary improvements, directing the flow and rate of territorial taxes, building up starbases to increase your influence, and other endless tasks. But where the game excels is not in its basic functionality, which is nothing radically new, but in the surprises and little touches.

As an interstellar ruler, you'll occasionally be forced to deal with various disasters and discoveries. Always given the option of an evil, neutral, or good choice, your decisions will directly impact your universal approval rating. Choosing to eradicate a newfound alien race may swing you closer to the dark side, but allowing them to thrive might negatively impact any number of variables, from your wallet to your planet's population.

The actual simulation offers some of the best AI routines in the business, with convincing strategies being thrown at you from across the stars. In fact, messages from opposing civilizations can often seem eerily intimidating. At one point, after thinking I was on the verge of surprising my nemesis with an invasion fleet, my wily enemy countered with his own show of force, before sending this prompt communique: "You may think you can build up a force on my border without me noticing, like in some video game, but I am a sentient being. I just wanted you to know that I know what you're doing."

Oops.

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