Just like to post that if you liked the original i'm sure you'll love this. The game is like 100% the same as the original but it certainly feels like an revolutionary step rather than an evolution.
The whole UI which was so good in the first game is now even better. The AI rocks, and builds stuff to kill your ships if you focus too much on 1 ship type, capturing stuff isn't as easy now at it was either.
A much more rounded game and the Multiplayer is much faster and more interesting that the first game imo.
I'd certainly recommend people who like a decent storyline to follow between missions pick it up too .
TiG