New World Computing, $27 (US). Requirements: any 
Macintosh or Power Macintosh, System 6.0.7 or later, 
4MB of RAM (1MB free RAM required), 5MB free hard 
drive space. Contact New World Computing at (800) 
325-8898.

Spaceward Ho! 4.0, distributed by New World Computing, 
is the latest version of Delta Tao’s popular galaxy conquest 
game. Players start out on a single planet which is just 
developing interstellar travel. The goal is, of course, to 
explore and conquer the galaxy through colonization, 
alliances and combat.

At the start of a new game, players will select the galaxy 
type (Spiral, Random, etc.), its size (ranging from very 
small to humongous), the number of players (1 to 19),
 and the skill of computer players (which can range from 
rather stupid to ‘diabolical’). The computer opponents can 
be very challenging, especially when their skill level is set 
to diabolical.

The game is played across a variety of windows. The Star Map window displays the worlds in the galaxy and is used for movement. Players move fleets by clicking and dragging to the target star. The map also displays information about the world: its quality, who owns it and whether it has been explored or not. The Star Map also holds the turn clock which can be used to set time limits on turns or to simply keep track of time. The Budget Information window displays a great deal of  information. First, it shows information about the selected planet: income, population, temperature, gravity, and metal. Second, it shows fleet information: number, ship types and characteristics, and scrap value. Third, it displays the global information for the player: total metal, total savings and net income. Fourth, it displays information regarding the status of the players: whether they have taken their turns, whether they are allies or enemies, and whether they are active or have been eliminated. Finally, it displays information about Ships’ Savings, Tech Spending and the income from or spending on worlds. The player can control how his income is divided between savings, tech spending and spending on his worlds (for mining and terraforming). 

The Tech Spending window displays the players current tech levels in Range, Speed, Weapons, Shields, and Mini as well as her spending in these areas and Radical. Range governs how far the ships can go, Speed governs how fast they move and how quickly they shoot, Weapons and Shields define the offensive and defensive capacities of the vessels, Mini governs the quantity of metal needed to build vessels, and Radical is a special category. Radical technology is a bit of a gamble. Money put into it can yield some useful results, such as sudden leaps in technology as well as interesting results, such as the creation of a biological space monster. Of course, players can also pour money into it for centuries with no results. Radical technology is a very amusing touch and contributes to the fun. Adding to this is the fact that the technological advances are giving rather entertaining (if odd) names such as “+5 Rustproof Vorpal Weapons.”

The Report window shows various events, such as the exploration of planets, increases in technology and battle results. The Battle window shows battles in progress. Battles are handled rather simply: the fleets are lined up facing one another and they blast away until one fleet is utterly destroyed. It is also possible to attack planets and destroy their populations. While there is luck (good and bad) as an option for battles, the players have no control over their fleets in battle. It is not possible to retreat, so all battles are to the finish. People who do prefer focusing on the strategy of running a galactic empire might appreciate the automation of battles. Players who are of a more tactical bent, however, might find this lack of control frustrating. Personally, I would prefer having more control over battles and I think a retreat option would be a nice addition.

The Ship Building window is where players can design their ships. There are several types of vessels: Colony Ships (for colonizing planets), Tankers (for refueling ships), Satellites (for defending planets), Scouts (for exploration), Fighters (for combat), Dreadnoughts (for major combat), and Biologicals (which must be created with radical tech). Ships are designed by using scrolling controls to select the design’s Range, Speed, Weapons, Shields, and Mini. Creating ships costs both Money and Metal and, of course, better ships will command much more Money and Metal. When designing ships, players have to pay an initial design fee, which is a nice touch. Regardless of a player’s design strategy, she will find out early on that technology is the key to victory. As the manual makes clear, it takes twice as many ships to match one level difference in technology between the player and her enemy.

One feature of the game that simply must be mentioned is the Armageddon device. Each player has the option of initiating an Armageddon with each turn. When activated, the device will destroy half of the planets in the galaxy, throwing Metal at the surviving worlds (which will inflict casualties on populated worlds).

During the course of the game, the players will explore worlds, colonize them, abandon worthless ones, and fight battles over them. Planets can be colonized and turned into profitable worlds or they can be strip mined of Metal and abandoned. How players use planets will, in part, be determined by the type of world. Worlds range from the potentially profitable to the inhospitable. Of course, some worlds are held by enemy players. (The sound effects for the worlds are a nice touch. For example, the Mac will express its disgust at an inhospitable planet.) Naturally, victory is achieved by eliminating all enemy players.

During play, the players will be able to interact in a variety of ways: players can fight one another; they can enter into alliances with other players and work together for victory (or to set others up for an act of treachery); and allies (as well as enemies) can send Money, Metal, and messages back and forth. The computer players will actually propose alliances, ask for Money and Metal, and send relevant messages.

The game also supplies a variety information during and after play: there are graphs which show the progress (or regression) of the player’s statistics, there is a chart that shows the player’s relative standing in terms of technology, population, income, and ship power, and there is a record of past wins and loses.

Spaceward Ho! 4.0 has many positive features. First, it can be learned quickly and it is easy to play. Because of its ease of use, it is a great game to play with friends who do not like the idea of having to page through manuals to figure out how to play.  Second, the game has very good graphics and an attractive interface. Some people might find the artwork for the ships a bit too odd, though: some vessels look like sharks, others have skull heads, and some are armed with bows and spring-loaded boxing gloves. It is a light game, however, and the art fits it perfectly. Third, the game supports network play for up to nineteen players. Thus, it is a great game for office or school LANs. Finally, the game is a great deal of fun. It is interesting and challenging enough to be worth playing again and again.

Unfortunately, Spaceward Ho! 4.0 does have a few negative aspects. First, those who like complex, “realistic” space conquest games might find the game a bit too simple, might find the art a bit too whimsical, and they might feel overly restricted by some aspects of the game (such as the combat system). Second, setting up the game for multi-player play on a single Mac is a bit awkward. It involves running two Spaceward Ho! 4.0 applications on the same Mac (sharing a single game file). This requires a Mac with enough RAM to run both at the same time. 

 
Spaceward Ho! 4.0 is a fun and challenging game. While some people might find some aspects of it a bit too whimsical or too simple, its quality graphics, challenging computer opponents, ease of play, and its support of network play makes it a game well worth owning. It is also a great deal of fun to play, especially against several human opponents on a network. I strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the challenge of a strategy games. If you own an earlier version of the game, you will find upgrading very worthwhile. Just take it easy on the Armageddons!

                                                                                                          ontologist@aol.com