March 7, 2006 - Tastes are funny. Some people out there will play anything just so long as it has the word "tycoon" on the box. Others will only really respond to mowing down legions of alien zombie Nazi robots with a handgun the size of a Civil War cannon. Still other gamers will spend hours online lying in wait for the appearance of the evil Frog Queen just so they can kill her and report her demise to Lord Sissypriss Fitzpansy back at the castle. Let them enjoy those experiences if they want. Me? I'm a 4x guy.

For those who don't know, the 4x genre lets players run entire empires, using the four X's -- expansion, exploration, extermination, and exploitation -- as guiding strategic principles. Whether it's the historical past, an inventive fantasy world or a star-spanning sci-fi future, the 4x game is strategy at its highest level. Empires are won and lost based on shrewd diplomacy, speedy technological research, sound economic management, and ruthless military action.

Last year's Civilization IV pretty much set a new standard for the genre, becoming the reigning king of historical themed 4x games (and took the multiplayer crown as well). This year, another sequel, Stardock's Galactic Civilization II: Dread Lords, brings the same level of polish and sophistication to the science-fiction side of the genre.

Though there's no relationship between the franchises, Galactic Civilizations picks up where Civilization leaves off, telling the story of what happens to humanity once they start reaching out to the stars. Beginning in the year 2225, the game sees the human race come into contact with several other space-faring races, all of which are competing for ownership of the planets and resources found beyond their own homeworlds.

It's the same story that was present in the previous Galactic Civilization games, but the sequel feels like it really delivers on the promise and potential of the original. Though the basic setup is still the same, the interface, campaign, and presentation have all been so greatly improved that it's hard to know just where to begin praising the game.

One of the bigger changes is that the sequel finally offers a full, scripted campaign. The humans find themselves fighting against the evil Drengin. In a series of inventive missions the humans will have to convince other races to join in the struggle while also fighting off the races that the Drengin have won to their side. I won't spoil the story here but the Drengin soon become small potatoes compared to the real menace that will soon be facing the galaxy. The acquisition of important new technologies and allies in a struggle that finds its way to the Earth itself makes for a hell of a fun experience and one that provides a bit more context than the regular sandbox campaigns from the original game.

One particularly interesting aspect of the story is that you can completely fail a mission and still move forward in the campaign. Sure, it'll take a while to recover, but Galactic Civilizations II doesn't force you to stop and restart once things stop going your way. I was a little annoyed, however, that each new mission saw you starting over from square one. Having to research the same techs again and rebuild the fleets that you had at the end of the last mission not only kills the continuity a bit but is also a real pain in the ass.