Master of Orion 1+2

MOO2 is the oldest game installed in my hard drive. It has stayed there since the Cretaceous period and will probably stay there till humans become extinct and the world is taken over by a race of intelligent monkeys.. and then they are gonna play it! Yes that's how awesome this game is. It's a simple turn based game where you can lead your space-faring race to galactic glory. Build your colony, research new technology, build and customize your ships, and annihilate your enemies. Of if you want you can even be diplomatic and win the hearts of your 'enemies'. Its good clean fun and you just cant get enough of it.

What draws me back everytime is how different each game is. It begins with the infinite combinations of race traits, then the local star systems around you, are you isolated? Short on food? Do you have to trade away your gold to stop the Insectoids breeding out of control and crushing your worthless yet peaceful under-developed civilisation? Do you grow strong from your expert diplomacy, or control though your technology? Will your civilisation survive the sometimes unfair conditions you are faced with or dissapear into the dust of eternity?

Having sat down and replayed an entire afternoon of MOO, I can honestly say that this game has not only survived the test of time but blown it out of the water. Round based? Check. Space? Check. Building a fleet of star ships? Check. Intergalactic diplomacy? Check. Going to war against rivals in an epic battle of solar system supremacy? Absolutely. Just try it once and you'll be hooked - just don't say I didn't warn you about playing straight through the whole weekend. ;)

I enjoyed games like SimCity and Civilization but only when I found Master of Orion did I learn the true meaning of "Just one more turn". If you are a Sci-Fi fan who thinks Civilization is cool, then Master of Orion is going to blow your mind :)

I decided to start my adventure in the Master of Orion universe with the first game. The graphics are rather outdated and the gameplay is rough, exactly like in the old computer games (no help features, all to be figured out by the player himself :(). Then I moved on to Master of Orion 2. Boy, was I shocked by the technological gap between 1 and 2! The second game gives you exactly what the first game did, but adds better graphics, music (good one to that!), game tips, etc. There's just so much more of everything! And the gameplay... A 'must have' for all you space sim fans out there! :D