Galactic Civilizations: The Altarian Prophecy First Impressions

What Has Gone Before
If you're a fan of space turn-based strategy games (commonly called "4X" games), Galactic Civilizations: The Altarian Prophecy is the answer to your prayers.

I began playing 4X games back on my 8088, when I'd download the latest ANSI-graphics title off of some BBS. Back then, graphics were a mixture of symbols pulled from the ANSI character set, and animation was more of the same.