Galactic Civ has a lot of depth--the technology tree is huge. The graphics are decent.  The UI is livable if a bit quirky in places.  The game has a unique feel to it, because its approach to economics, ship building, etc., are different from other turn-based strategy games that I've played (MOO, Civ2).  Some people have complained about this, especially the different approach to ship building (which uses pre-defined ship classes that can't be customized), but there's nothing wrong with it.  You just have to be prepared for a new way of doing things.
One problem with the game is that it is very poorly documented. You often have to build improvements and ships in order to determine what they really give you.  As an example, the first time I built a manufacturing center I was surprised to see my expenses go up by twice the monthly maintenance fee for the center.  It took a lot of hunting around on the web and playing with the game before I figured out what was going on.
(Increasing your manufacturing output always costs you money and never makes you any money in GalCiv.  This isn't entirely intuitive, but once you know this, you can factor it into your tactics.  Don't expect the manual to give you this type of information.  It doesn't even define the term "manufacturing" anywhere....)
Also, many aspects of the game work on a delayed reaction time. One example: I had a starbase providing a 65% bonus to the social and military production of planets in that sector. When I destroyed the starbase, it took about 3 game turns for the affected planets to show the change. This delayed reaction can be confusing and misleading, especially when you are trying to figure out what a particular improvement gets you.
This game has other issues, including crashes to desktop and uneven difficulty levels.
However, I am gradually getting to like the game better as I play it more.  Although the GalCiv developers obviously don't believe in documentation, they are doing a good job of continuing to support and enhance the game.  Overall, I like this game better than I did MOO2.
Galactic Civ has a lot of depth--the technology tree is huge. The graphics are decent. The UI is livable if a bit quirky in places. The game has a unique feel to it, because its approach to economics, ship building, etc. , are different from other turn-based strategy games that I've played (MOO, Civ2). Some people have complained about this, especially the different approach to ship building (which uses pre-defined ship classes that can't be customized), but there's nothing wrong with it. You just have to be prepared for a new way of doing things. One problem with the game is that it is very poorly documented. You often have to build improvements and ships in order to determine what they really give you. As an example, the first time I built a manufacturing center I was surprised to see my expenses go up by twice the monthly maintenance fee for the center. It took a lot of hunting around on the web and playing with the game before I figured out what was going on. (Increasing your manufacturing output always costs you money and never makes you any money in GalCiv. This isn't entirely intuitive, but once you know this, you can factor it into your tactics. Don't expect the manual to give you this type of information. It doesn't even define the term "manufacturing" anywhere.... )
Also, many aspects of the game work on a delayed reaction time. One example: I had a starbase providing a 65% bonus to the social and military production of planets in that sector. When I destroyed the starbase, it took about 3 game turns for the affected planets to show the change. This delayed reaction can be confusing and misleading, especially when you are trying to figure out what a particular improvement gets you. This game has other issues, including crashes to desktop and uneven difficulty levels. However, I am gradually getting to like the game better as I play it more. Although the GalCiv developers obviously don't believe in documentation, they are doing a good job of continuing to support and enhance the game. Overall, I like this game better than I did MOO2.