Stardock announces beta testing for Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor is underway for those who have preordered the strategy expansion:

PLYMOUTH, Michigan – October 30, 2007 – Stardock Entertainment today announced that the beta test for the highly anticipated second expansion to Galactic Civilizations II, entitled Twilight of the Arnor, is now available for players who have pre-ordered the title at TotalGaming.net. Twilight of the Arnor will be released on December 12 for $29.95, while fans can pre-order the expansion at a special $24.95 price by visiting http://galciv2.com/Purchase.aspx.

Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor includes a massive payload of new content and features requested by the series’ devout fanbase. In addition to a new campaign that ties up the Dread Lords saga, Twilight of the Arnor adds civilization-specific technology trees and planetary improvements that add even more flavor to each alien race, while greatly expanding the strategic depth of the game. A vast array of new ships, weapons, starbases and ship components will be available to players, including the devastating Terror Star, which can annihilate entire star systems. Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor requires GC2: Gold Edition or GC2: Dark Avatar.

The initial Twilight of the Arnor beta test includes the following features, while others will be added in upcoming beta releases:

    - Three new technology trees to add unique flair to each galactic civilization
    - Updated AI that makes computer-controlled factions act even more like human opponents
    - Several new planetary improvements to give players more options when developing conquered planets
    - Lots of new unique starship components that allow players to create their ultimate personalized battle fleets
    - Improvements to fleet battles (how can we spin this one?)
    - Updated graphics that help to further immerse players in the game

For more information about Galactic Civilizations II and Twilight of the Arnor, visit http://www.galciv2.com.

To pre-order Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor, visit http://www.totalgaming.net.