[dumbluck]

While I don't own the game, I can tell you what I've heard.

There are several mods out there that do wonders for the AI and tech balance and stuff like that. For all intents and purposes, everyone treats the Balance Mod as SE5 Stock, because stock sucks so bad. There are other mods out there that have built off of the Balance Mod; they are supposed to be good too, but I don't know enough about them to comment here.

SE5 seems to be a Love It or Hate It kind of game, judging by the discussions I've seen. Considering that you can pick it up for less than $5 at retail stores (that have it in stock), you aren't risking a lot on the game if you try it.

I never tried it because I didn't like the UI, in particular the Ship Design screen and the general drop-down-menu-craziness. But I think that's really just a matter of taste more than anything. Now the demo can be used to get a feel for the UI, with the understanding that the Demo is NOT a good example of the AI you will be facing or the balance of the game.