Strange adventures

I was poking around online, looking for some software to test this loaner machine at work. (Long story.) One of the things I find is a game that has really caught my fancy: Strange Adventures in Infinite Space. I really like the design and execution of this game. It feels a little bit like a pared-down, streamlined version of Spacefarers of Cataan or Escape Velocity. Only instead of taking forever to play, you can explore the universe in 20 minutes and not feel cheated.

One can get the game through Cheapass games in the Boiler Plate Special. Check it out--you might dig it. (I do think it's a bit too dependent on ship combat, at least in the demo. I have a couple of ideas about how that might be fixed. Better intelligence on star systems, for example. More durable starships. Still, if you die in the game, it's not like you've committed hours of effort...)