This game is awesome. Civilization IV, the fourth of this name by Sid Meier, is better in every way from Civilization III. I didn’t pick up Civ III until almost a year after it came out. Even then it felt, as one review I read, complicated. Sure, you say, every Civilization game has to be complicated. However, when the complication gets in the way of having a good time playing the game, then its not fun complicated, its just complicated complicated.
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Civilization IV appears to be much more streamlined. The workers appear to be more intelligent (if you set the don’t tear up my prior improvements box) and and the AI fighting is a little better. Also of note in another review I read, Sid has said that the AI in Civ IV, for the first time in the game’s history, is not allowed to cheat. In previous Civ’s, the AI would, basically, see the whole map, all relevant resources, and would always know how many units you have in each city. Now, they only have access to the information you do (or they discover on their own). Its noticable at times, the AI attacking cities that they are certain to lose or cities that are not your weakest.
All in all, however, its a great game. I plan on playing it tomorrow for a few hours with friends after a much-needed sleep.