It is really tough to update a game classic such as Master of Orion 2. This is a noble attempt that almost, almost, captures the excitement and playability of the original. It plays almost like the original with updated graphics, more races, and more involved empire building. It look best if you play it on a large monitor because it requires more screen space than the original, but a 13" laptop will suffice. Some of the best changes to game play seem to have been borrowed from another of my favorite 4x games that is no longer available, 'Pax Imperia: Eminent Domain'. And one the worst ideas was that this new version concentrates more on space battles than the original. I really liked the idea that you could win the original MOO 2 with much less use of space combat.

The new MOO is well worth your time but keep in mind the the original MOO 2 still works on most modern Macs, if you can find a copy, and if you don't mind the fuzzy graphics.