Sid Meier's Civilization IV

There's a trend rooted in graphic technology these days. It seems that people are willing 2 let their imaginations run wild & turn that into a visual. Sounds good but I've found this method usually distracts from the essense of what a good product is. The biggest examples of this I can immediately cite are the newer Star Wars movies & the Indiana Jones Crystal Skull episode. In both cases the essense is drowned beneath interesting visuals. I feel that way about Civ IV.

I began my interest in the Civ series back at Civ II. Like most I was drawn into many hours of play often of the expense of my mental alertness the next morning. But which is more important: studying 2 pass some measly English exam or preparing a decent strategy 2 finally stick it 2 those (insert enemy civilization, namely those pesky Mogolians) & move on 2 head a peaceful, productive new world order who might some day consider me "Chris the Magnificent"?

Now Civ 2 wasn't necessarily as easy 2 grasp as say Pac Man, but it didn't take a PhD either. It is a pretty straight forward, logical game. In my opinion, part of its ease of use comes from it's visual simplicity. Much of what we see on screen symbolizes something else, so why make it complicated? Do three realistic characters represent an army better than a simple single 2D character? I do like the map, but again, the look makes movement tricky. And the whole 'I can't see what I'm near unless I'm there all the time', while realistic (until sattelite development), doesn't give me enough information 2 play fairly with an AI unit that already knows my every move. On top of this, who doesn't miss the advisors & wonders from Civ 2? I miss real people talking with me & real pictures of what really exist(ed).

I think this game might appeal 2 those who've never played the earlier versions but 4 me it seems like a lot of gloss & confusing additions 2 an already great game. I think the first Activision Civ (Civ III) tried 2 pick up where CivII finishes but did it so poorly people lost interest. Perhaps Alpha Centauri is where I need 2 go next as I still haven't found a continuation of Civ II that tops it.

Oh yeah, it'd be nice if they could make a version/patch of Civ II that runs on XP. Talk about being buried in history.

This is a very engaging & addictive game. I stay up night after night FAR past my 'bed time' playing this game. Good stuff

I have no idea how this is averaging only three stars, because Civ IV (along with Beyond the Sword) is without a doubt the most balanced & entertaining turn-based strategy games ever made, & a serious contender 4 the best PC title released this decade.

This game is not 4 you if you:
- don't like time-intensive games that you'll almost certainly not finish in one sitting
- don't like strategy games in general & turn-based strategy games in particular

If either of those statements apply 2 you, don't buy Civilization IV. Otherwise, almost every serious criticism of previous turn-based strategy games has been addressed:
- You can choose 2 micromanage or simply have the AI take care of city & worker management-- the latter works perfectly fine 4 the first few difficulty levels. This removes a huge chunk of gameplay that may people find tedious.
- It's possible & oftentimes preferable) 2 win cultural, religious, or scientific victories. Combat is not a prerequisite 2 victory, particularly on the lower difficulty levels.
- There are a dozen different randomly generated map types, many difficulty levels, & a wealth of options. The game's extraordinarily replayable... especially since there is quite a bit of third-party, user-generated content you can download.
- The graphics are nice but not good enough that they overwhelm the gameplay or require a state-of-the-art computer.
- Combat is easy 2 learn but difficult 2 master.

Basically, just get it & play it if you haven't already.

Provides hours of challenging fun. I like the new additions 2 the original Civilization 4 game. Its nice 2 see that spies have returned 2 the game.

I played the Revolutions demo on Xbox Live & sought a demo on PC & I liked that even more. The product delivered on what was in the demo.

If you don't know the Civilizations series, but you liked Sim City (especially its earlier incarnations) you'll definitely like Civ IV. You can actually get more involved, if you choose, in smaller issues.

On the practical side, there's good & bad. It runs almost perfectly on my Lenovo laptop, unlike the first-person-shooters made by a certain famous rocket-launching individual in Texas. The flaw was that my laptop is wide-screen & the game had 2 be persuaded 2 use the screen's 1280x800 native resolution. And there's DRM. Not exactly unheard of but it's the kind of thing that could cause trouble.

Civilization IV is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all-time. Now the fun & incredibly addictive strategy game reaches new heights by adding new ways 2 play & win -- along with new tools 2 manage & expand your civilization. Civilization comes 2 life like never before in a beautifully detailed, living 3D world -- with all-new easy 2 use mod capabilities & intense multiplayer modes & options. It's a must-have 4 gamers around the world! Flexible Tech Tree allows players more strategic choices 4 developing their civilizations Team play offers a new way of setting locked alliances that result in shared wonder effects, visibility, unit trading & shared territory Over 70 in-game movies & animated sequences advance the story