We have to hand it to Stardock and Ironclad Games, when it comes to sci-fi strategy games, they really know their stuff. After its successful 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) turn-based sci-fi strategy series Galactic Civilization, we were ecstatic to hear that it was making a new game advertised as a hybrid genre of real-time and 4X. Suffice to say, Sins of a Solar Empire sounded like a good draw for those who like playing either genre.

Imagine my surprise when I was asked to take part in the beta testing of the game and write a journal about it. The current Beta 3 test phase of the game, which started last month, already polishes all the features that were originally mentioned on their website and allows players to take control of the TEC faction as they build their empire.

For a game of this magnitude, we were expecting the minimum specs to put quite a strain on our PC. However, after checking out the forums, we were pleased to see that they were quite manageable. Considering that the game is still in its beta testing stage, we're expecting this is still subject to change. Anyway, here's the breakdown of the minimum specs:

Windows XP SP2 / Vista

• 1.8 GHz Processor
• 512 MB RAM (1 GB RAM for Vista)
• 128 MB 3D DirectX 9 Video Card
• DirectX 9.0c 1 GB RAM for Vista)
• 128 MB 3D DirectX 9 Video Card