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Civilization IV

Published: Mon 10 Dec, 2007 | On:

The original Civilization, released in 1991 is surely one of the greatest original turn-based 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) strategy games. Starting off with a small tribe during prehistoric times, you must grow and develop your people over the Millenia, directing them to protect themselves while developing a nation and technology that will either let them conquer everyone else or reach to the stars.

Some 16 years later, Civilization IV carries on this tradition, but the original game, addictive in the extreme, has been honed and tweaked to take it to an even higher level. All aspects of the game have been revised, but most impresive is the new graphics, all your cities and units are renedered in glorious 3d, and the player can easilly zoom in an out of the fray, whether it be out to view the world as a globe or right down to a unit. Moreover, a wealth of compelling music enhances the entire experience even further, with a great narrator chiming in to recognise accomplishments or blunders as the game progresses through the ages.

The game has certainly been thoroughly tested with an easy to use and grasp interface and unfolds gradually, enabling new players to quickly pick up what is needed through a tutorial and the gradual accumulation of technology, which opens up new city improvements, military and other units and other things to research.

Diplomacy as always seems to be the only weakness in the Civilization Series, playing against the computer never really gives you the impression you are playing against someone that's your equal, Multiplayer recommended