Yesterday, I stumbled across a really great shareware game called Pax Galaxia. It's a fast-paced, abstract, conquest-type strategy game. Think 'Risk' on speed. Very addictive.

It has a really clever UI that minimizes micromanagement. No more clicking all over the map to 'fortify' your territories; it's all happens automatically. The presenation is very simple but very well done. Well worth the $20 registration fee.

As the game industry becomes more and more blockbuster hit-driven, it's refreshing to see that creative folks are still creating simple and engaging games.