Terraformers is stil in my "games I really need to try properly" pile, ---- though I will agree, the price is certainly at the very very upper end of my range, and as I said before in this thread, I did find the navigation in the demo a tad frustrating. for navigation in full 3D I stil say the gma engine rocks!
Sinse I posted my own top ten quite a long while ago and their have been some more recent developements in games, i'll post a few additions (though i stil agree with my past self, lol!).
the 7-128 games as John said, extensive help, self voicing, simple but with nice background music and full audio sound clips, entertaining, easy to pick up and play, and quite rewarding to the new player I think.
Mota from Usa games, simple controls and no need of extensive learning of sounds or hard navigation as in something like shades, ----- remember with the more complex 3d stuff we have now like sarah, we forget how complex shades seems to someone unfamiliar with audio games).
I wouldn't recommend sound rts for aa newby, rather complex and requiring a lot of mental mapping skills, ---- not anyway until those very extensive tutorials which soundmud mentioned have been released. For a starting stratogy game I'd recommend final conflict from usa.
the sounds are good, it's self voicing, it's turn based (so time to check help mid game), and it's free. I must admit that Trek 2000 is probably the only audio game I regret buying, sinse Stfc has just done the same thing better, used the next gen sounds (which sutes me as I'm far more a next gen than original series fan), is self voicing and much less complex to learn and play.
Imho gma should really update trek 2000 with missions, more sounds, more features or at least something for a better playing experience, --- though saying that, anything from gma whatsoever these days would be nice.
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)