"Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords" has more in common with complex board games than with most other computer simulations. Strategy is key as the game uses a turn-based interface, and twitchy reflexes don't amount to much while trying to chart your civilization's destiny.

There is a single-player campaign that involves the awakening of the precursor Dread Lords society, which is megapowerful and just as evil. But most people will play in the mode where they try to explore space and inevitably get a little too close to the galactic neighbors.

You control every aspect of your chosen society, be it the humans or the warlike Drengin or any of 10 races, each with positives and negatives. If you don't like the options, you can create your own.

Once you get going, you need to build colony ships and send them into the galaxy. Once you've found a new world, you are given a certain number of build spaces where you can put factories, farms, laboratories, space ports or other facilities.

You also must plan the overall direction of your society by researching various technologies such as beam weapons, advanced farming techniques and miniaturization. You also control the major political faction of your government and must keep people happy to maintain power.

And you will run into moral dilemmas, such as discovering intelligent but primitive beings on planets you want to colonize and either leaving them alone, corralling them into an area away from your colony or exterminating them. The choices you make will slowly change your empire toward good or evil.

Oh, did I mention that space is not friendly? Some beings will help you out, but others would rather eliminate the competition. So you must defend your claims and take pre-emptive action.

For people who like deep strategic thinking, GCII is better than a 3-D chess tournament. People used to a bit more action will probably grow bored quickly as they wait for their strategies to slowly come to fruition.