npaid bills? Ankle-high lawn? Disgruntled spouse? Who cares! The Hive are attacking, and Mother Earth must be saved.
It's the future, and humanity has colonized the solar system. There are people on Mars, there are people on Ganymede, and there are people on everyone's moon of the month, Titan. To be frank, it's getting a bit crowded.
But humans are pretty sharp, and they soon discover faster-than-light travel. Homo sapiens jump on their FTL ships and pour out into the rest of the universe. Unfortunately, some folks take exception to the pouring, and a galaxy-sized rumble ensues. It's up to the players to manage the exploration, the rumble and the technological advancements that will ensure success.
Like the original title, which appeared in 1983, Reach for the Stars is a turn-based game. In each turn, players must choose research, allocate resources to spaceship and facility construction, colonize planets, explore space and fight intergalactic battles. Included are an Enterprise-sized bag of technologies to research, such as Talon torpedoes and particle beams, and 16 species with which to research them. From the dumb-as-plankton Trogarchs to the highly advanced Klaa'Keen, there are species for every taste.
Up to six sentient beings can vie for control of this universe over a LAN. Four players can take a shot at Internet galactic supremacy, but the game runs a bit long in multiplayer mode.
Delightful space conquest
Multiplayer aside, Reach for the Stars is one heck of a lot of fun. It's one of those games that yanks players into its world. There are no fancy-shmancy 3-D graphics; the 2-D look is clean and functional.
Each turn is seriously entertaining. Players research technology and face deep decisions--should the advanced star drive be first on the list, or is a more powerful weapon in order? Players must decide which facilities to build, what ships to design and manufacture, and where to send the finished ships. The research, facilities, ships and exploration weave together into a symphony of intriguing strategy.
Nor does the strategy stop when the fighting starts. Fleet commanders must select which formations and which ranges to fight. These tactical decisions, blended with the choice among ship designs (some are better at close-in knife fights, others at long-range sniping) determine a battle's outcome. It's a deceptively simple yet elegant system.
Therein lies the rub; it's a speck too simple. Fans of detailed space conquest titles such as Emperor of the Fading Suns will lament the whitewashed plainness of planetary attacks. In Reach for the Stars, players bombard a planet and land a number of marines greater than the defenders, and the rock is theirs. It just doesn't hold up against the enthralling hex-by-hex struggle in Fading Suns.
Nevertheless, Reach for the Stars is a gem. There are tense moments, desperate battles and loads of choices--in short, everything that makes strategy gaming great. Anyone who likes space exploration and conquest will love this game.
