The Mother of All turn based strategy games (Civilization 2 (Multiplayer Gold) (PC))

Member Name: ishti50

Product:	Civilization 2 (Multiplayer Gold) (PC)
Date:	09/10/05 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gives a real feeling of actually using the ancient world

Disadvantages: A real time killer if you get addicted

Civilization is the authentic idea of its programmer who is considered as one of the masterminds of the PC games development industry. The concept of this game is so simple and yet so vast. For those who haven't ever played a turn based strategy game, it can be said as a modernized version of chess with some random elements in it too. The random factors are too hard to predict, but an expert player will find it as an evenly better challenge.

Simply speaking you start a civilization of your own in this game, then explore and expand in a primitive time and in due course of time you either dominate other civilizations or fall victim of their exploitation. While you lead your civilization for a long time you get to decide on many other things like your earning distribution, your people's happiness and exploration and conquest proirities. These are all available in other description available of all other civilization games that came later on. However, I want to focus on a few things that later versions won't give you.

If you are a buyer who is thinking about what to buy - Civilization 2, call to power or any other versions of civilization; I would recomend you to buy Civilization 2. The reason is simple, it is the classic one and all others are further developments of this game. The civilopedia and the civilization advance logos in this version still gives me a feeling that I am leading an ancient world and not a technologically advanced world. If I wanted to have a feeling of a technologically advanced primitive world, I would have played other Sci-Fi strategy games like "Alpha Centauri". (which I also did). However, everytime I start a new game with single Nomad in this version, I actually get a feeling that I am a lonely nomad in a vast uninhabited world.

The game, being open ended, lacks any direct storiline. Yet it has a successful ending through either conquest of the world (which is presumably the only objective of such a game) and astonishingly the second objective of settling down in a distance planet in the wake of growing unstability in world environment. In Alpha Centaurai, the designer of this game has successfully continued this game from its end with a similar and more surprising storiline.

Civilization is not only a good game for enjoyment, there is a whole generation of fans for this game who are less vocal but are keen on computer game developments. Once in a while, you are bound to find a fan of this game and just the fact whether you like this type of game or not will give you a inseperable bond with such a dedicated fan of this game.

For those who are tired of keeping track of what game technology is available and how expensive the most recent game is, this game should give a real dose of enjoyment if you can only take it by heart that old games are not always bad.

The music in this game is not good at all, animation "sub-standard or nil", network gaming possibility not too good (due to free time requirement of all network users). Yet, just for extremely good solo playability of this game, I cannot but give this game a five star. May Civilization 2 live in the hearts of all for ever.

Summary: A must play for those who are crazy about turn based strategy games.