Masters of Orion II players will immediately recognize Fragile Allegiance as a clone to their popular game and for the most part it is. However, there is enough difference to make it feel different. Some aspects are just barely dissimilar such as colonization. Instead of planets, you settle asteroids and asteroids move without help from some gravity nullifiers that you have to build. As with MOO II, you are given surface views in which to build structures. Mining is your chief concern and it provides you with the funding you need for weaponry and support structures. Diplomacy plays a big role and without it you may find yourself under attack rather quickly. The trick is to make the alliances necessary to pit your enemies against themselves until you can build your military strength. Military prowess consists of typical scouts, transports, fleets and battle cruisers. The air force is where you'll have to concentrate on the interface. Controlling your fleets can be tricky and it's best to learn the nuances of this early. The downside is that ships appear rather small but you do have a fleet mode that can control them a bit more easily. When in combat you are switched to an air combat screen and it's more than sufficient. Highly offensive weaponry consists of a myriad of missles, each able to perform different functions. Missle attacks can be fun provided you have a spy satellite in the correct location as you attack. Of course, if there defensive posture is strong you'll watch in horror as your missles are blasted out of the sky. One aspect that differs from MOO II is the personnel options. Real faces that perform real functions. Supervisors, saboteurs and spies can perform specific functions that can stengthen your colony and weaken your enemies. Fragile Allegiance relies on science to provide better assets and they come at a cost so financial management is a factor. The major components of game play are well thought out. Graphics and sound are worthy. The command interface is a bit confusing at first but it's pretty slick. The AI is more than sufficient to keep you on your toes. My one concern is that this game is prone to crashes and this obviously can be annoying if you don't remember to save. Having played Masters of Orion II, I think that Interplay has a worthy rival and it provided me with enough challenge to make it quite enjoyable.