One of the best games ever, from the characters and voices to the actual strategy and gameplay, it was ground breaking in its day, even the graphics looked sweet, though simple. I used to play this one a lot and it paved the way for a whole generation of strategy games. The basic idea is that you need to build things as you grow, and for that you need a population base with which to grow and gather resources needed for your defensive and of course offensive needs.
This game is of course basically just like so many others. Conquer the world and dominate all opposition along the way. But it is so much more. The different computer opponents each have some great voices and personalities, the game had the basics of diplomacy covered and you would need to learn when to use your power, and when to try not to get in their way.
You start the game with very basic sticks and stones as your means of beating off invaders, or to take over new territories to expand your powerbase. Generally, it is a game of numbers, much like the classic risk board game, but with the added fun of being able to develop better weapons and defenses than your opponents. Perhaps a smaller, more
advance force would make the difference in your quest for world domination?
Generally the game was fairly easy, but as you advanced through the epochs, the game became much harder, so you also had to balance how many of your population you would commit to each 'island', too many, and you would not have enough in latter stages of the game, too few and you could easily be overrun by the computer and your reign of power come to an untimely end.
IF you have never played this game I give it the utmost highest recommendation. If you can get it that is. Sadly, the makers, though not supporting it at all, still exercise their copyright and make it very hard to get on any platform, though you can find an Amiga version on this site. Oh and without spoiling the game, if you want to get to the end of the game practice doing the first few epochs with just a few people, you’ll need them later ;)
Well good luck, and may your civilization stand the test of time, and may your megalomaniac tendencies be appeased.
