DESCRIPTION

From humble beginnings as a prehistoric tribe of hunters and gatherers, to a far-flung future of extra-terrestrial colonization, players lead their people to dominate Earth and beyond in this era-spanning game of empire-building. A true living legend of computer game design, Sid Meier invites strategists to conquer the world all over again, in this fourth edition in the influential Civilization series.

Many of the most significant additions to this version of Civilization involve customization. The tech tree remains the road map to scientific and industrial advancement, but there is now more than one path to milestone discoveries. The religion model offers more customization as well, and players can now better use the power of faith to spread their culture, or they can choose to have no state religion at all, boosting happiness and scientific endeavors.

Combat has been enhanced in Civ IV, to give more individuality to veteran units and to balance away occasional historical mismatches sometimes noticed in earlier editions of Civ. More than one leader character is available for many of the traditional opponent nations, and the game will play differently depending on who is in charge of rival empires. In all, Civilization IV is designed to offer players a game world of unprecedented sophistication and realism, whether they aim to win it through warfare or culture.

In addition to the full game, the "Special Edition" of Sid Meier's Civilization IV comes with a spiral-bound copy of the manual, the game's soundtrack on CD, a glossy card stock game disc sleeve, and a quick-reference of keyboard shortcuts. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide