A few months ago, I played a game that changed how I viewed real-time strategy fans. No longer did I mock those who headed home to conquer a galaxy or land, spending hours creating an army only to see them obliterated minutes later. With Sword of the Stars I became the kind of person I used to mock, as I spent days building, defending, losing and regaining my empire. It is a fabulous game that has long lasting appeal but after a while I did start to lose interest and this once strong craving became subdued. If you're in a similar situation to me then prepare to lose your social life again, because a new add-on, Sword of the Stars: Born of Blood, has been unleashed and a the addiction has started all over again.

As with most add-ons or extension packs, you need the original game to play Born of Blood. Looking at the additions on offer, you'd be forgiven for thinking, "Is that it?" Only one new race - the Zuul - and a handful of new ships, weapons and options are included, and you might conclude that it could have come in the form of a free download. But don't panic, because - like the new Persil Compact - this add-on is "small, but mighty". If you're new to the game then you should check out my review of Sword of the Stars for the full lowdown on main gameplay mechanics and storyline, because what follows is a look at what Born of Blood brings to the table.

The new race included for Born of Blood are known as the Zuul, (I couldn't help but thinking of Ghostbusters: "Ray, when someone asks you if you're a God, you say yes!") and did make a brief appearance in the original, dubbed 'Slavers'. The explanation of the race is wonderful, as long as you ignore what the creatures are and have never seen any science-fiction films before. I warn you of this because the initial description of what the creatures are shatters my illusion as to why I'm supposed to fear them as a great threat. Ready? They are "a savage marsupial race". ("What's that Skippy? The Tarkans have taken over our colony!?") Just like the rabbit from Holy Grail, these guys "are dynamite!" and in similar fashion to the aliens in Independence Day, they arrive on a world, strip it of all resources and then move on. The problem with this 'lifestyle' is that to maintain their resources, they need to continue conquering, which can make playing as them a complicated problem to overcome. In comparison, the other races take over a world and then use the available resources gradually, replenishing and sustaining you for a longer period.

In a Borg-like way, in battle the Zuul ["Are you the Gatekeeper?" Ed.] assimilate the defeated ships and their entire fleet consist of cut and paste ships that benefit from having various technologies. While they can withstand the strongest attack, they can't sustain a long battle. The Zuul ["Actually I'm a friend of his, he asked me to meet him here." Ed.] are a difficult race to play as or against, yet playing as them is fun because they have no morals and so don't care about alliances, with a singular purpose of galactic domination. Playing against them, you may find it's easier simply to just stay out of their way or to attack in cooperation with another race. The Zuul [Can I get away with one more Ghostbusters quote? "Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back." Okay, I'm done now! Ed.] are a tough competitor, but soon become victim of their own weaknesses, as you can simply surround them with lighter ships for an extended assault to defeat them.

Other additions include fifteen new weapons that make warfare a lot more fun and when you acquire such things as the armour-piercing rounds and the boarding pods, you'll be itching to find an enemy to try out your new toys on. The boarding pods are an interesting new element, small shuttles that you send to latch onto an enemy ship and cut through their hull. The use of even more statistics for battles is a great improvement too, as my major gripe from the original was that if you allowed the AI to fight a battle on your behalf, you wouldn't be updated as to the results of the battle and you'd have to scan the galaxy to see if your fleet was still there or not. Graphs are implemented to show how successful you've been over the course of the game and this is a great way of seeing whether a change in strategy or ship type actually had any impact on the results. During battle, the graphical display has been improved dramatically too, with explosions and visuals improved to make this aspect a far more exciting part of the gameplay.

For the more politically minded of you, the inclusion of trade routes and diplomatic actions between races is an interesting concept. Whereas in Sword of the Stars the only real communication with the other races was to issue threats or demands, you can now ask for help, offer trades of sectors of the galaxy or simply to declare a truce. The Zuul ["We got one!" Sorry, couldn't help myself! Ed.] voicework makes up for the 'marsupial' tag, as they have a deep, Vader-like voices that just drip with evil to the core. Other than this, the sound of the game throughout hasn't changed a great deal. In multiplayer mode, the use of conversations between players, either on the same side or as enemies, is well implemented and - as with the original - the whole use of multiplayer elements is perfect. Like all good RTS games, this is what will make you come back to play Born of Blood time and time again.

The fact that there are only three new scenarios could be described as measly, but veterans of the game will be aware that each of these scenarios could equate to almost a few weeks' worth of playing. These scenarios are simple in their execution and still follow the theme of galactic domination, but they place restrictions on you, making the game feel horribly difficult at times as a result. If you found the original game difficult then you shouldn't bother even considering this add-on, as even those who consider themselves experts may find it too hard - but if you persevere, you'll find ways around these devilish elements and begin to enjoy the game for not being simplistic, and so when you win it's a very rewarding feeling.

Sword of the Stars: Born of Blood is a great addition to the saga and although asking for a full sequel so soon would just be greedy, this is a great way to tide fans over until Sword of the Stars 2 arrives on the shelves. Don't expect a giant overhaul of the original because, as with all add-ons, it's just an enhancement, but there is plenty more than meets the eye here - a new race, new weapons, new scenarios and enhancements to the alliance element, statistics viewing and the graphics of the space battles all adds up to a great example of how to improve an already strong game. As such, you should be pleasantly satisfied with what is on offer here.

Reviewed by David Simpson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).