Pax Solaris

Military strategy trumps shoot-'em-up action in Pax Solaris, a plain-looking but challenging game of space empire. From the beginning you'll notice that there is no shooting and there are no spaceships, only a field indicating the location of your own and rival fleets. The graphics are minimalist, but that makes the installation quick and the file size small. In Pax Solaris, you lead a fleet of spaceships against rivals to take over the galaxy. The simplicity of the game's rules may lull you into tactical thinking rather than strategic planning. For example, you may select a fleet to destroy, but while you're winning one battle, other fleets may attack you at different positions and win the war. To prevail, you need to develop a strategy and perform actions in accordance with it. Fans of strategy games such as Risk may enjoy this variation.