Removing it from the shadow of its predecessors, MoO3 is merely an okay game. The graphics were pretty nice for the era. The interface has a steep learning curve (because there's so much of it to figure out). Yes, the game does a lot of management for you, but I felt that way about MOO and MOO 2 so that was neither here nor there. Despite its flaws, the game is pretty decently challenging if you were aiming for any end game other than galactic domination.
