Gameplay summary:

Click any visible star to get a list of the gates from that system, and options to explore undiscovered systems or search for more gates in that system (if there are any left to be found).
Select View System Info to find out what that system needs before it can help you, and explore the adjacent systems to trigger events that can help you. Once you've explored one set of systems, see what other systems they are connected to and explore those (you made need to scroll round a bit, the jump gates can travel quite far across the map).

----------

In this game, you are the commander of a space fleet from a distant star system, far in the future. For centuries, humans travelled between the stars via series of jumpgates - fixed portals in space that connect the space-lanes of two stars instantly, no matter how far apart; but a little over a hundred years ago, the entire network shut down without warning and left every star system in the galaxy disconnected and alone. Your homeworld has spent the decades since that day rediscovering the technology behind Pathfinder keys - unique devices that allow you to force a pair of gates open for individual jumps, letting your scout ships traverse the gate network once more. You now have one of these keys, and with it you must venture out to distant stars and find what has become of the universe.

There are no guarantees of what you may find, and you may have some hard choices to make as you try to reunify the far-flung worlds of man; but remember, the fate of the galaxy is now in your hands.

You will have a strategic view of all star systems that have been discovered, and control your explorer ships as they search for lost gates and explore the stars beyond them; use WASD to navigate the map, and Q, E and the scrollwheel to change your viewpoint - use Space to toggle fullscreen. Click on any star system you can see to get a report on known gates to and from that system, and select System Info to get a detailed report on the local situation. Some planets will have specific requests to make of you, and if you can help them they will support your efforts to restore the network - but be warned, some will prefer their isolation and work to stop you.