The game received incredibly positive reviews in the press and has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide this year so far (and remains a strong seller in the Christmas season in part because of constantly free updates that add new features).

The reviews included:

• Gamespot: 9.0
• GameSpy: 4.5 stars
• IGN: 8.7
• CGM: 4.5 stars
• 1up: 9
• G4TV: Perfect 5 out of 5
• SciFi Channel: Perfect 5 out of 5

While Stardock has made other PC games in the past, none have approached the success of Galactic Civilizations II. 

One of the things that helped make it a success we believe was the absence of CD copy protection. People could install it and toss their CD if they wanted. And even if they someday lose their CD when they go and get a new machine, no problem, they could (even if you buy it at a store in another country) simply re-download the entire game from TotalGaming.net (via Stardock Central) for free.

Want to try it for yourself? It's at your local retailer or you can order and download it immediately while waiting for your box to arrive at www.galciv2.com.

I can honestly say that of all of Stardock's products (and we make a lot) that KeepSafe is the one that I consider a universal must-have.  You should have KeepSafe. 

KeepSafe integrated file archiving and revisioning into the file system. What this means is that when you make a change to a file type that you've decided to "keep safe", that file is then backed up as a revision automatically in real-time.

The number of disasters a year that KeepSafe users avoid each year is countless. Ever been working on a document for hours and for whatever reason the file gets corrupted, lost, deleted, mangled, etc.?  With KeepSafe, you can quickly go back to the last revision of the file. What I think KeepSafe compelling is how easy it is to recover. I've used a lot of backup packages in the past and they usually make it painful to get the file back.  In KeepSafe you can get to it either by right-clicking on the file in explorer and choosing which revision you want to get or going to the KeepSafe dialog and typing in the name of the file and it will go through its entire archive database instantly.

Just this past week it saved several hours of work for me. I was updating the Galactic Civilizations II manual, which is a huge file. I was working on it over the network and for whatever reason, our network connection hic-upped when I was getting ready to print a copy. I had to kill Word and when I came back, I was left with a 0 byte .doc file. I do regularly backups so I had a traditional backup from the day before. But what about what I'd been working on all day? Because I had KeepSafe, I was able to go back to the version from 16 minutes earlier.

Like I said, KeepSafe is a must-have. Every time we post about it users will come on and relate their positive experiences with it.  PC Magazine recommended it shortly after it came out. 

Get it here: KeepSafe home page

A user with Object Desktop can completely control how Windows functions. There's no product, at any price, the comes remotely close to what Object Desktop can do.  And with Windows Vista coming, the power of Object Desktop will only grow with the cool new features in Microsoft's next-generation OS.

Object Desktop includes WindowBlinds, DesktopX, IconPackager, ObjectBar, RightClick, WindowFX, and much more!

You can read more on what Stardock has planned for Windows Vista here.

Get it here: Object Desktop.com

ObjectBar 2.0 was designed to evolve with the changing use.  Rather than being used to completely replace the shell, it has been designed to enhance it.  It will use your existing WindowBlinds skin and it is much much easier to use than these kinds of programs tend to be.

ObjectBar remains a very compelling and easy way to give your desktop its own look and feel.   It is also one of the programs that makes up Object Desktop.

Get it here: ObjectBar.net

What DesktopX is allow Windows to have objects on the desktop. These objects can do anything you might want them to be.

Some can be just eye candy that are short-cuts like this snow globe that you can shake (and doubles as a desktop short-cut that you can set):

Or you can build an entire desktop with it:

Or create a mini-application:

You can then export your creations for others to use.  What's amazing about DesktopX is the relative ease of creating this stuff.  There's literally a cottage industry of tutorials and content out there. A number of people sell their creations on-line.

You can get some Christmas desktop objects here.

DesktopX, like ObjectBar, is also part of the Object Desktop suite.

Get it here: DesktopX.net

Effects like shadows under windows, animated transitions (minimizing and maximzing) and a slew of other handy features.

One feature of WindowFX that hasn't gotten much attention until lately is the maximize to a set size. This is a feature you'll probably hear more about as those new big monitors get more popular:

Someone with one of those new 24 inch or 30 inch monitors could use WindowFX just for that feature and turn everything else in it off.  Anyone doing web design or who is just browsing the Internet and doesn't need their browser to use up 1920x1080 could appreciate that one feature.

Of course, that's not what WindowFX is best known for. It's best known for tons of eye candy special effects. Just a word of caution -- WindowFX is easy to use but it does have a lot of features which means that users can turn on every kind of special effect imaginable which will slow down your computer. It's best to pick and choose the features you want. WindowFX is an eye candy buffet that's all you can eat, but that doesn't mean you need to use it all to get your money's worth.

Try it for yourself. It is part of Object Desktop as well.

Get it here: WindowFX home page

The fall got started with a bang with the release of ObjectDock 1.5. This new version of ObjectDock added a ton of new features, improved performance, and Windows Vista support.

ObjectDock is a program that enables users to organize their programs and running tasks into a dock. ObjectDock enables users to have more control over how they organize their desktop. Rather than have a bunch of icons on the desktop, these icons can be put into docks. ObjectDock can also be used to replace the Windows Start bar entirely freeing up valuable screen real-estate.

The program comes in two forms -- a freeware version and a Plus version which adds tabbed docks and additional functionality.

ObjectDock Freeware

ObjectDock Plus adds tabbed dock support too

For a full list of what was new in 1.5 you can go here.

Get it here: ObjectDock.com

WindowBlinds 5.5 Beta is currently only available on Object Desktop so you'll need to get Object Desktop to use it.

WindowBlinds on Vista makes use of the new 3D desktop compositor that is the backbone of the Windows Vista display technology.   You can read a preview of it here.

Get Object Desktop here:  Object Desktop Homepage

With the popularity of Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, it was inevitable that there would be an expansion pack.  And this expansion pack goes way way beyond what most expansion packs deliver in terms of new features.

The expansion pack adds customizable opponents, two new civilizations, planet environments, enemy agents, asteroid fields that can be mined, and much more. It's currently in beta and anyone who pre-orders before December 15th gets access to the beta.

Here are some screenshots from the beta:

You can get Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar at: www.galciv2.com/darkavatar