Rule your own world
Civilization IV
PC

Vietcong 2: Disappoints with numerous glitches and hang-ups.

The game: The game starts in 4000BC in a prehistoric village. From there you find and expand your civilisation by building cities and advancing your society through different eras such as the stone age, iron age, through to the space age. Along the way you research and learn new technologies until you have replaced your clubs and spears with nuclear weapons. You can war with other civilisations or engage in trade and diplomacy. You decide how your society works from its economics, politics and religion.

The play: Playable in either single player or in multi player mode, you can choose from a number of different cultures to begin the game. Each culture has two leaders you can choose from, and your choice will determine the style of your play. For example, if you play as the French, you get to choose to play either as Napoleon or Louis XIV.

As you research new technologies you gain access to new religions and new civics. Civics are spread across five areas: government, religion, labour, law and economy. Each religion gives you certain benefits and advantages, and you can build missionaries to try to export your religion to other cities and nations. You are not limited to the number of cities you can build and your cities can span continents.

There are a number of different ways to play to win the game. By conquering enough of your neighbours or expanding your borders to possess the majority of the world you can win through domination and elimination. Culture victory requires you to build three cities to a legendary culture-level. The space race merely requires you to construct the pieces needed for the ship. Once it’s complete, you’re declared the winner. The diplomatic victory requires you to be the first civilisation to build the UN wonder. Once the wonder is built, elections are held to determine who gets to be Secretary General.

The Secretary General then gets the chance to propose new resolutions each turn. These resolutions would open up new trade, ban nuclear units, or force all the civilisations in the game to adopt certain civic options. If enough other civilisations vote in favour of the proposal, it becomes a global rule. The final proposal basically asks the other civilisations to vote you a diplomatic victory. If you gain the majority of the votes, you will win. In the time victory, the game reaches 2500AD and the civilisation that is most advanced takes the game.

The terrain: With a number of different worlds to choose; from desert plains, islands dotted on an endless sea and even a world modelled on our own, there are enough worlds to satisfy all. The maps are detailed and the animations are fantastic; from being able to watch wild animals walking around the terrain to your troops in combat you’ll be entranced by what you see.

The experience: This is a highly addictive game that is very hard to put down and is a much-improved version of the previous civilisation games. There is just so much to experience in this game you will want to play it again and again.


– Sqn-Ldr Nick Hogan

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