Disappointing

I grew up on Civ and even enjoyed Civ II. Civ III was frustrating due to the fact that it was nearly unwinnable even on the easiest levels. Civ IV seems to be more balanced on the difficulty scale, but it does feature some new annoyances that make the game less than enjoyable. First, the game trivializes religion, something which Civ I-III had steered clear of doing. Regardless of your belief (or lack thereof) the in-your-face trivialization isnt fun. Second, the usability is shot to heck. Its not worth the time to list all the nits, but suffice to say that you dont feel that sense of controlling everything easily anymore; the game relies much more on the mouse and not as much on the keyboard. Third, the world perspective is full of unnecessary glitz. As a result, its harder to see everything at a glance. Last, the unnecessary politicking that the game gets into -- see who is listed as the worst world leader in history -- and its not Neville Chamberlain or the Roman emporer Commodus. Its still fun building things, but this version feels a little too artificial and not so much sober with a twist of fun, like Civ I and II were.

Phoenix Born of Fire about Civilization IV