Master of Orion

The Good
MoO is an excellant strategy game. You take on the role of leader of an entire race, that must rule the universe, by either eliminating the other races or being voted galactic leader. MoO is all about successfully setting up, andmanaging multiple colonies, while maintaining a fleet strong enough to defend yur planets. The ease at which you can control your colonies production is well thought out. The starship customization was also a factor that made this game the classic it is. The game has a good diplomat AI, as well as an excellent spy system, which I feel accurately portrays the intricies of covert operations. Each race has it's own feel to it and unique feelings and outlook on life and the other races, the galaxies are random making this game highly replayable

The Bad
The sound, this was a big disappointment for a galactic game, one would hope it came with a grand music score to get one in the mood, but alas, a musical score is sorely missing, the sound effects are also sparse and not mentionable. The game tried to capture the feel of galactic conquests without giving one very much control, basically colonies run themselves, with you only setting quotas. The game centers mainly on building new ships that implement newer technology. At points it feels like a galactic battleship game! I feel if more time was put into micromanagement of colonies as well as making the starship construction and battle scenario's less prevelant would have helped this game.

The Bottom Line
A great strategy game that only falls short in small areas, but is otherwise fun and surprisingly addictive!