If the game’s set of races don’t appeal to you, you now have the option to pretty much create your own from scratch, including the ship designs. You’re all set to build Warhammer 40K-type ships or even the Enterprise or Millennium Falcon. You’re free to create new enemies to personalize your galaxy to your liking from how an enemy acts, its technology bonuses, to how smart it is. There’s nearly no limits as to what you can come up with and for a sci-fi fan, it’s a huge boon to the game.

Dark Avatar is a nearly flawless expansion to an already great game. Fans of GalCiv II simply need to own it as it makes playing the original somehow seem stale. Stardock has proven yet again that turn-based gaming isn’t dead – good design is still good design. -- William Abner