Today's market and technology levels dictate for certain standards to be upheld when it comes to video games.

While Sins of a Solar Empire keeps up with today's standards and does an excellent job with both sound and graphics, it is in fact the actual game and the controls that distinguishes and raises this game above the competition. Simply put, this game is lots of fun.

One of the game's most impressive qualities lies in the balance between the game's three races. Each race has not only its unique appearance but a unique technological research tree. While the RTS factor is very much up and kicking, the game also incorporates the 4X strategy found in turn based strategy games. For those not familiar with the 4X term, it simply refers to the strategy incorporated in most turn-based strategy games: explore, expand, exploit and finally exterminate.

Sins of a Solar Empire comes with all the features found in most RTSs and more. For instance, unlike so many other RTSs where everything revolves around the zerg approach, in Sins of a Solar Empire strategy is the dominant factor. While having a huge army helps, it is not a necessity. A small but balanced and organized strike force can inflict more damage then a huge army of unbalanced units. Another excellent factor incorporated in this game is trade. While most RTSs have some kind of trade available (mostly for multiplayer purposes), in Sins of a Solar Empire you can actually form trade routs with the AI opponents (if you are at peace with them); which brings me to diplomacy.

Diplomacy is also an important factor in Sins of a Solar Empire. "Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer" is definitely a saying with a lot of meaning in this game (especially in large games). Unlike so may other RTS games, in this one you can actually make peace and even alliances with the AI (if more then one AI is available). And finally, to separate itself from the competition and pull even further away, Sins of a Solar Empire has an extended branch of available research. Each of the three different races has a unique research tree that they can explore. To top all the great features included in this great release, Stardock created a smooth gameplay scenario that is easy to control and navigate through. Even without playing the tutorial or reading the manual this game made sense. It really is an easy game to learn, but a difficult game to master. Honestly speaking, this is one of the more successful RTS games that I've encountered in a long time.