Demo user seeks a few pointers

[derb]

I am an experienced 4x player but new to SE IV and am having a difficult time playing the demo. It is extremely under-documented � the tutorial doesn't get you far at all. I understand that the full game has an HTML-style manual on the CD � is it reasonably comprehensive?

I have "The Dubious "Strategy Guide" of Space Empires IV" but it assumes that you know about SE 3 or earlier to some extent, alas. Is there a user guide floating around elsewhere on the net? I am particularly interested in something that would explain what each of the ministers do and the difference between individual and global ones.

At the moment what I really need to know is what some of the icons mean. I noticed on more than one of the planets I colonised I see a little red icon that looks something like a battered red filing cabinet. Ever-hopeful I guessed perhaps it is a ruin so I built a research facility on those but nothing happened. What is the meaning of the icon?