This game would have been even better then its 5-star predecsessor if it hadn't eliminated many good rules.

This title is a game that spans from the dawn of civilization in 4000 BC, to the supposed reach of Alpha Centauri in 2100 AD. It is the fourth title of an epic series that will blow your socks off. You can do war, build culture, race to space, or get voted to victory. Your child only needs to be able to read to understand stuff, but if you want to win, you're probably going to need to be a little older.

This is a very good game. The only reason im saying 12+ is because its very difficult.

Sid Meier always has a knack for these kinds of games. Civilization IV (Civ 4) is an excellent game to play and can be extraordinarily difficult for one out for a challenge. You pretty much, well, build a civilization from the ground up, choosing from many real Earth civilizations. You manage cities, civics, units, warfare, commerce, research, culture, etc. to try to reach one of the multiple victory conditions. You advance in ages and play through time starting at 4000BCE up to 2050AD. (or beyond if you choose)It has a very high replayability and vibrant graphics.The turn-based system instead of RTS-style gameplay isn't a hindrance at all; it seems to add to the effect. There are many mods available. from the Internet and two expansion packs for the game. A must have for any PC strategy gamer. The worst content issue is seeing large animated characters fall down when waging war. No blood or serious violence. You can gain incense or wine as resources to gain happiness, but I don't see how that could be a problem.

Great game I have followed the Civilization series for years and they have yet to disappoint me.Not violent even though there are battles.Though it is very hard building a really good civilization. P.S. I my self never was able to get this version but have played it at a friends house a few times.

I have played the Civilization series since I was in 5th grade, and it never gets old. When my parents gave me a limited time for playing on the computer, they made one exception, and that was that I could play Civ without being counted. This game is very educational, as it has made me more interested in world history and leaders. In this game, you can even play scenarios like the American Revolution, where everything from the units to the positions of the cities and the geography are correct. The game includes a civilopedia, which gives history about every unit, leader, civilization, civic, and everything else used in the game. This game also plays music from the exact time period you are on with ancient music to Brahms and Dvorak all the way to modern times. The music has even made an impact on me, as I now listen to classical rather than today's sometimes mindless rap. Recommend it to any history or military fanatic, or anyone with the exceptional patience to play a turn-based game.

I had tons of fun playing this game multiplayer taking out other civilzations. Although it didn't always work when we set the difficulty to Monarch or higher...