Product Description

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #436 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: 2K Games
• Model: 710425217128
• Released on: 2005-10-24
• ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
• Platforms: Windows 2000, Windows XP
• Dimensions: 2.10 pounds

Features

• Match wits against world leaders in a quest to build the ultimate empire
• Detailed, living 3D world with animated units and customizable armies
• Flexible tech tree provides more strategic choices for developing civilizations
• Easy-to-use interface; team play offers new way of setting locked alliances
• Single player or multiplayer gameplay options

From the Manufacturer
With over 6 million units sold and unprecedented critical acclaim from fans and press around the world, Sid Meier's Civilization is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all-time. Now, Sid Meier and Firaxis Games take this incredibly fun and addictive game to new heights by adding new ways to play and win, new tools to manage and expand your civilization, all-new easy-to-use mod capabilities and intense multiplayer modes and options. Civilization IV comes to life like never before in a beautifully detailed, living 3D world that elevates the gameplay experience to a whole new level. Sid Meier's Civilization IV has already been heralded as one of the top games of 2005, and a must-have for gamers around the globe!

Features

Civ 4 features beautiful 3-D worlds with fully animated units

• Civ IV comes to life! - Beautiful 3D world with dozens of fully animated units (including culturally unique units) and totally customizable armies. Detailed cities and wonders will appear on the map. Wonder movies are back!
• Greater Accessibility and Ease of Play - An easy-to-use interface will be immediately familiar to RTS and action game players, and newcomers to the series will be able to jump in and play. Multiplayer -LAN, Internet, PBEM and Persistent Turn-Based Server (PTBS or Pitboss) offer players all-new strategies and ways to play when competing or cooperating with live opponents.
• Team Play - Whether playing multiplayer or single player, team play offers a new way of setting locked alliances that result in shared wonder effects, visibility, unit trading and shared territory that delivers a plethora of new strategic and tactical options.
• Mods and Community Tools - Designed from the ground up for modability, the game contains a powerful map editor with XML and Python support.
• Choose Your Leader - Many Civs now have 2 leaders from which to choose, with each Leader having traits that provide various bonuses to the player and lots of replayability.
• Civics - With the discovery of new techs, civic options can become available. Freedom of speech or slavery? Hereditary rule or open elections? This creates endless government choices and possibilities!
• Religion - Now there are 7 religions in the game that are unlocked through researching. When unlocked, the religion spreads through a player's empire allowing them to use the religion to help manage happiness, gain gold and create Great Prophets.Great People - As the player uses specialists they gain Great People points in the city that is utilizing the specialists. Great People include the Artist, Tycoon, Prophet, Engineer, and Scientist. They can be used to get free techs, start Golden Ages, or join a city to increase its output.
• Promotions - Each unit has a promotion path that emphasizes specific unit traits. Promotions include bonuses to Attack/Defend on specific terrains/features, movement bonuses, sight/visibility bonuses and increased withdrawal chances.
• Tech Tree - Flexible Tech tree allows players more strategic choices for developing their civilizations along unique paths.
• More Civs and all new Units and Improvements to enhance and grow your empire.
• Faster-Paced Fun - Gameplay has been streamlined for a tighter, faster and more compelling experience.
• In-Game Movies - Civ IV will have over 70 in-game movies and animated sequences.

Customer Reviews

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

That old "Just one more turn" feeling
I played the Revolutions demo on Xbox Live and sought a demo on PC and 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 and 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 and the game had to be persuaded to 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.

Addicting Frustration
I bought this game a few years ago and instantly loved it. I can play this game for hours on end while neglecting homework, :). The only two complaints I have for the game is that the graphics can be choppy and slow if you are running with minimal system requirments and some of the leaders faces show up as just a pair of eyes and teeth instead of a full face. If you have more than the minimal system requirments you will be fine. The only other complaint I have is that it allows you to build the Great Pyramids in England or Notre Dame in New York. I think it would be funner if the game were more accurate.