Civilization 2 is one of those cases where the continuation turns out to be an improvement in almost all respects of the version of the already magnificent original, without any radical changes whatsoever. No wonder the modest subtitle “The ultimate version of the best-selling strategy game” flaunted on the game box, emphasizing the degree. The Civilization 2 downloads section contains the great work produced by modders from all other the planet. If you are looking for a Roman conquest scenario or a Lord-of-the-Rings scenario, then you are right here.
While the original Civilization was created by Sid Meier, Brian Reynolds takes Meier's original design and improves upon it to create Sid Meier's Civilization II. Reynolds can do no wrong with this great sequel, a game by which all others of this genre will be judged. It is an incredible and very addictive game; once you start playing you won't want to stop.
Every gamer should play through the tutorial first as it teaches you the basics and is very helpful. When you begin a new game, there are an impressive number of options from which to choose. Customizable features include the size of the world, number of terrain squares, land formation (islands or large continents), climate, temperature, age of the world, difficulty level (six to choose from), level of competition (up to six opponents) and level of barbarian activity. There are historical tribes to choose from or you can customize your own. All of these options alone make this a great game with incredible replay value.
Computer opponents add a lot to the game. Each has its own goals, although usually they revolve around militaristic objectives. Different strategies can lead to different responses from each of the computer opponents. If you build powerful armies, they will probably keep their distance. If you concentrate on education, they will threaten you because their people will become jealous.
The number of advancements for your civilization is also very impressive: 80 plus. Advancements range from horseback riding or literacy to mobile warfare or computers. Another great feature is when you reach certain advancements your civilization can begin building a particular Wonder of the World, all of which have significant impacts. Isaac Newton's college doubles a city's science output while the Statue of Liberty allows you to select any government at any time. Each Wonder of the World has its own video and, in many cases, full-motion video.
Running a civilization is a lot of work. Each city must be managed individually, although they all contribute to the civilization. Changing governments also keeps the game fresh, as each government is viewed differently by the population. Moving around the map is very easy -- simply use the arrow keys. The battles occur as one piece moves into a square occupied by the enemy. Sound effects are very well done as you can hear the clashing of swords as legions attack or listen to the bombs dropping as a Stealth fighter makes an attack.
Civilization II begins in the year 4000 BC and ends when any one of three conditions are met: reach the year 2020, conquer the entire world or advance technology to the point where a spaceship reaches another planet. You will want to play Civilization II over and over, as every game is different. Also included are a couple of pre-set scenarios to play out and a map editor, allowing you to build the perfect world.
Graphics: Nicely detailed military units.
Sound: Variety of music to select from.
Enjoyment: Very addictive.
Replay Value: Every game is different.
This is a collector's edition release of Sid Meier's Civilization II. It includes the original game, Conflicts in Civilization Scenarios and the official strategy guide.
This compilation includes the following games on one single disc:
Sid Meier's Civilization II (base game with new multi-players features)
Sid Meier's Civilization II: Conflicts in Civilization Scenarios (scenario pack)
Civilization II: Fantastic Worlds (scenario pack)
Multiplayer features provide new competition from human players.
Time for a HIGH QUALITY game. This is one of the best games ever made in my opinion.
If you have played Civilization (or even Colonization) you know the layout, but for the rest of you, here we go; You start out yr. 4000 B.C. with a small group of settlers and a covered map. First thing you need to do, is to find a good location where to place your first city. From there you have to develop the land and research new technologies. As the game progresses you also have to start building an army, to defend yourself from any neighbors with hostile intentions.
You can face up to 6 computer-controlled civilizations during the game, and each of them has their unique behavior. Any actions you take towards one of them, might give you a bad reputation, making the others less friendly towards you, and if you are really careless, they will start forming alliances against you. You have several difficulty levels, ranging from very easy, to the once where the computer actually cheats.
What differs THIS version from other Civilization 2, is that is has MULTIPLAYER support. As usual, me and Kosta has done some 'beta-testing' and found it REALY fun. Works like a dream over the net, and supports up to 7 players.
The game ends in 3 different ways; Either you are the first nation to send a craft to another star, or you can just simply kill everyone else. The third is if you fail to do any of this before a certain year....
Better not give more away... but I'll tell you.. It's much more fun when played against a human ;) Now go and get your own opinion!
How to run this game on modern Windows PC?
Civilization 2 Scenarios
People who downloaded Civilization 2 have also downloaded:
Civilization, Sid Meier's Civilization 3, Civilization II: Test of Time, Civilization: Call to Power, Sid Meier's Civilization IV, Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings, Age of Empires, Colonization for Windows