Let’s be straight, though I am a fan of the original Galactic Civilizations, I’ve viewed the "franchise" as a mixed bag of unrealized potential and profiteering schemes. Stardock is an excellent developer with deep knowledge of the Microsoft Windows user interface (if you like a custom Windows desktop and don’t use Stardock products, you’re really missing out). Unfortunately they have fallen into lockstep with many other developers by offering incremental updates to purchased products with value that is more hype than help.

In my review of the expansion pack for the original GalCiv, the Altarian Prophecy, I gave it a good rating, because, as an expansion it was very adequate. But you may also note that there are many instances where the review states the expansion adds some cool elements but fails to really expand the level of gameplay. If I may be so arrogant as to quote myself: "are they really outstanding additions that drive GalCiv to a new level of game play? Not Really. They are just cool."

Unfortunately, these types of expansion packs are really just a way for developers to try and product additional profits from existing products with a minimal amount of development effort. As you can tell, I am not a fan of incidental upgrades and expansion packs.

But if you really want to know what chaps the hide from my posterior, it is developers who release lame iterative versions of a successful product that are really nothing more than an expansion pack. And at full price! You’ve seen them. You’ve played them. You know what I’m talking about.

This whole mixed bag of praise and criticism is simply a precursor to the stone cold truth. Stardock is a great developer. Every update (whether incidental or not) and every expansion, adds value. But more importantly, a new version is truly new with sweeping changes or updates to existing features with copious amounts of new content.

Which finally brings me to Galactic Civilizations II: Dreadlords. A new version of the classic turn based sci-fi strategy. This is how versioning should be done. All of the elements that engendered fans of the original game are back along with some really excellent features that build upon the original elements.

First, and I think most would agree, the interface gets a welcome overhaul. It is cleaner with more critical information represented in the display without having to dig through sub areas. Even the sub areas of information detail have been improved with a wealth of new data. In fact, I think there could almost be too much data, but since you only since you only view this data by choice, it isn’t a problem. It’s there if you want it but not "in your face" when trying to find some small, critical piece of data. For instance, it is now possible to use one mouse click to see all of the known planets on mini-map or with one click see which systems are controlled by which faction.

All of these niceties is due to a spanking new 3D engine. True, the game is still played in a top down grid but the 3D overhaul means the interface itself is crisper, you can zoom in and out with excellent detail, you can zoom out to the point where the view switches to a "tactical map" with simple icon images replacing the previous 3D elements. Personally, this is one outstanding feature. When your scouts and other ships are moving about they will often expose various items of potential interest such as planets, enemy ships, anomalies, and more. Closer up, many of these elements can be out of your viewing window, easily passed over as your change locations or just plain overlooked (many objects blend too well into the dark background). At the beginning and end of every turn I would zoom out to the "tactical" mode so that every object is clearly visible. Trust me, this is a brilliant addition.

While the planets may not spin about and starbases may not have silly little blinking lights, the new graphics system allows all object to be composed of relevant graphical details. Starbases that primarily serve military functions can look significantly different than one that serves commerce. A construction ship is clearly different that a transport. Each planet can now have a number of brilliant colors that can be coalesced into important details. For instance, a planet that is mostly water based with small landmasses and large ice flows may actually look that way on the map. I say may, because in all honesty I was testing and noting so many of the new features that it is quite possible this was merely a coincidental experience in that it always seemed to be true whenever I was paying specific attention to it.

Ah planets. Once, they were colored dots that were strewn across the grid. Now these dots are brilliant spheres that represent and entirely new facet of the game. Each planet now contains its own grid map with a cornucopia of terrain elements and features with can map an individual grid cell usable by default, usable only after terraforming, complete unusable or containing a special feature or tradable resource. Similar to it’s predecessor, your task is to explore the map, find suitable planets and colonize them. That is where the similarities end. Now you can construct factories, laboratories, government building and social structures that directly reflect the abilities and characteristics of that planet. Let’s say you find a spinning ball of mud that is naturally disposed to manufacturing (there are a number of factors that can influence the disposition of a planet) and has good strategic positioning, you can choose to build factories and other manufacturing related structures and also adjust the governmental focus of the populace to create a ship building powerhouse. In my gameplay and testing I have found that your choices in structure significantly impact the capabilities of the planet. If you choose the build factories and neglect social structures you may be headed for trouble when ten million people don’t have anywhere to blow their hard earned pay and unwind after a long week of pumping rivets into your battleships.