Master of Orion 1+2

Master of Orion 1 is a great game, good exploration and pacing, great planetary management and tech development, memorable and iconic artwork, and battles which are although a bit abstract are great in that they scale well into the late game. Whereas Master of Orion 2 is frankly one of the biggest disappointments I've played. They thought it fit to include Master of Magic-style city management into a game that deals with galactic empires. In present day, developed world, about 4% of our population is in agriculture but in this game you're going to have entire planets growing wheat. Ships have too much detail, and for all their detail many battles against say the Antarans will see your entire fleet wiped out before you can so much as scratch your nose. Tried to get into MOO2 multiple times but always left complete unsatisfied. Unfortunate that 4X has been saddled with this model for so long. Moo2 2/5 stars

I only owned MOO2, but even though I still have the disk somewhere, I plan on buying this pack. This is the essential space strategy game collection. While I prefer the fantasy theme in Master of Magic, Master of Orion 1 and 2 are significantly deeper and more complex. Designing your own ships and taking control of the fleets that you have led to your opponent's base planet is a thrill like few others.

Perfect

This game can last from 30 minutes to 4 hours each time you play it. Multiple difficulty settings, changes you can make to change the stradegy of the game. It may take a first time user a dozen of games or so before it becomes familiar enough where you get to enjoy the game, yet its not overly complicated to the point you get lost in a users manual. The tutorial mode helps you get into the game quickly and gives you a taste of the game. While the game almost seems simple, because of the random game setups, it can stay challenging to the point you just can not win, (so you don't get bored winning all the time.) Excellent rainy day game, with a feeling of accomplishment when you win... a game that doesn't go on forever, yet long enough if you need a challenge. Out of the three games, this one is my favorite in balancing time playing the game along with the random challenges that await you in Master's of Orion.

Masters 2 is one of the best games ever created! Only wish Masters 3 was even close.