The number of turn-based space strategy games has thinned out over the last few years. The epic, plodding nature of the genre has struggled to find a place in the minds of game publishers, who are more interested in action titles or MMORPG franchises. It's also hard to gain confidence in the genre when highly anticipated games like 2003's Masters of Orion 3 turn out to be horrifically wide of the mark. It's a crying shame for fans, as no other genre can match the strategy and depth of 4X games.

Fortunately, Stardock's Galactic Civilizations series is proudly carrying the torch. The original GalCiv was an outstanding game, but it had some glaring holes just waiting for a makeover. That makeover is now here and Galactic Civilizations 2 comes loaded with features, enhancements and style.

If you've not played 4X (eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate, eXplore) games before, the principles are simple. Start with a small base and limited resources, then use military might, technological superiority or cunning diplomacy to dominate the other players. Sid Meier's Civilization series is the most notable, while the original Masters of Orion games still hold a special place in the hearts of space faring conquest.

Like Civilization IV, GalCiv 2 has made the move to 3D. While a turn-based strategy title doesn't need the extra dimension, it delivers niceties and more flexibility to the interface, like zooming in and out of the strategic map and showing your ships in all their 3D glory. The net effect is a gorgeous, polished interface that lets you zip around your fleets, planets and starbases in style.

The new interface is a welcome change, but the true killer feature is ship building. Customising your ship in GalCiv 2 goes beyond simply placing abstract technologies over generic design templates. First, you choose your basic hull type, which consists of many attachment points. Then, just like Lego you can choose to add components from hundreds of pieces, including weapons, engines, defenses and other modules. It's not all functional either many of the pieces are there just for aesthetic reasons.

The final trump card is the artificial intelligence. Controversially, GalCiv 2 doesn't include a multiplayer option, and thus relies on a strong single-player mode and smart AI to convince you that you don't need to play with friends. It's a tough job, but Stardock has managed to pull it off by making opponents that out-think you, rather than using arbitrary advantages or 'cheating'. No longer can you amass an enormous fleet of ships to unleash on a blissfully unaware enemy. Instead, the AI is smart enough to see that you're building up your military and will do the same, creating an organic arms race.

This of strong AI, ship building and a polished interface makes Galactic Civilizations 2 everything you'd want in a 21st Century strategy game. It sits proudly alongside Civilization IV, and you can bet that Stardock will become the next big name in strategy gaming. There's no reason not to buy it -- you can get it as a boxed copy, or you can download it through Stardock's online distribution system -- and the staggering replayability makes it worth every cent. For disillusioned 4X fans of old, the wait is over. Get it now.