Civ III is finally out for Mac but it was well worth the wait. I had to shoot a review in to give a more balanced account of gameplay than what I am seeing here in some of the malcontents' reviews. Put it this way: if you even mildly enjoyed Civ II, you will love this game. The game features a whole new layer of playing that seems to be taken from a number of different sources... Alpha Centauri and do I detect some concepts from Master of Orion II... the Nationality feature is totally cool! And how does it look? Amazing!!! I love the new look. But forget graphics and cool features... does it play well? Well, if the lack of sleep I got last night is any indication, you can make that a definite yes. If you love Civ and are infinitely fascinated by historically-based empire-building games, you can't go wrong. Trust me.

I'm revising my initial review, which I wrote shortly after purchasing the game many months ago. Having played the game a while now, and having gotten used to the ins-and-outs, peculiarities and idiosyncracies, I've found that I like the game a lot more than I did at first. I began playing Civ entrenched with a strategic orthodoxy inherited from months (years) of playing its predecessor, SMAC. While Civ3 might at first seem like the same engine with a couple new features, it eventually becomes clear that those features fundamentally change how the game is played. In a good way. Having (finally) learned how to play the game, it has become clear that most of the gripers just don't understand Civ3. They are finding that the strategies they employed in SMAC and Civ2 with great success are terrible flops in Civ3. I know this because I was one of the gripers, and I had the same experience. In sum, Civ3 is a great game. Another reviewer referred to the "ah-ha factor", that precious little buzz you get when you figure out what you are doing wrong, and make a change that pays big dividends. I love the "ah-ha factor". Civ3 will provide you with your "ah-ha's".

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