Sword of the Stars demo

Kerberos Productions has released a demo of its upcoming strategy title Sword of the Stars, which aims to streamline the "4x", Civilization-style genre to make it more accommodating for newcomers.

The demo is 227MB and contains a spherical star map with up to 40 stars and unlimited turns, and Human and Tarkas races to try out in single- and multiplayer modes.

What's all this "4x" excitement then? Well, it's literally four x's - explore, expand, exploit and exterminate are the primary goals in a 4x game like Civilization, Alpha Centauri, Galactic Civilizations or Master of Orion.

And, as we say, Kerberos' goal is to provide a more intuitive interface with a fairer learning curve than its rivals. See how it's getting on by downloading the demo. The full game is due out worldwide in Q3. For more information visit Lighthouse Interactive's website.