About Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares is a turn-based 4X strategy game set in space. Steve Barcia and Ken Burd designed it, and it was developed by Simtex, the studio that had made its predecessor, Master of Orion, as well as Master of Magic. MicroProse published the PC version, which ran on MS-DOS and Windows 95, in North America on November 22, 1996 and in Europe on December 16, 1996. A Macintosh version followed in 1997, published by MacSoft in partnership with MicroProse. Laura Barratt composed the music.
The game was built with both single-player and multiplayer modes, which matters here, because DOS.Zone gives it a room for online play. Today the rights belong to Wargaming. DOS.Zone’s page carries no written description of the game, so learn the rules from the game’s own menus once it’s running.
How it runs in your browser
Click Play and dos.zone opens in a new tab with the game ready to load. js-dos, the open-source DOSBox build DOS.Zone makes for browsers, emulates an MS-DOS PC and runs the original DOS release of Master of Orion II on it. The game files come from the site, so there’s no installer and no need for your own copy. You don’t register, and DOS.Zone has no ads.
DOS.Zone files the game with its MS-DOS titles under strategy and simulation, and the page shows a 4.9 rating from 212 player reviews. It doesn’t say whether saved games last between visits, which is worth knowing before you start a long game.
Master of Orion II also has a multiplayer room on DOS.Zone, at dos.zone/multiplayer/master-of-orion-ii, for playing against other people. Look there for how to set up or join a game. We haven’t tested how well online games run, so treat it as something to try rather than a sure thing.
Controls and devices
You play with a keyboard and mouse. The DOS.Zone page doesn’t list the controls, so the game’s own menus are the place to learn them. Click into the game window after it loads so the emulator gets your input.
For phones, DOS.Zone offers virtual on-screen controls, but the game was built for a keyboard and mouse, and a desktop or laptop is the better fit. We haven’t checked it on a Chromebook.
Who it’s for
It suits players who knew Master of Orion II in the late 1990s and want another game without setting up DOSBox, and turn-based strategy fans who like to think through each move. MicroProse also published X-COM: UFO Defense two years earlier, a mix of base management and turn-based tactical missions that runs on DOS.Zone too. For turn-based strategy in a fantasy setting, try Heroes of Might and Magic II.
Is Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play Master of Orion 2 multiplayer online?
DOS.Zone runs a multiplayer room for the game at dos.zone/multiplayer/master-of-orion-ii. See that page for how to start or join a game; we haven’t tested how well online games run.
Do I need the MOO2 game files?
No. DOS.Zone loads the original MS-DOS version itself and runs it through js-dos, so there’s nothing to install, no disc to find and no account to create.
Does Master of Orion II work on a phone?
DOS.Zone offers virtual on-screen controls for phones, but the game was built for a keyboard and mouse, so a computer is the better fit.
