" Third in the Civilization series, this one tops them all. "

      Title: Sid Meier's Civilization III by Firaxis

      Format: PC Strategy

      Reviewing Monkey: Reader Dan S.

      The Hype: One of the most defining and widely played games in its genre, Civilization is reborn to its third incarnation. But will it thrive as a bustling metropolis or suffer the scourge of the mediocre plague?

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Graphics: Unfortunately this is not the kind of game that sets new standards in graphics. This is however a nice improvement over the old sprites used in CivI and CivII, and comparable to Alpha Centauri. The short animations during battle and movement serve their purposes well, but do get repetitive. The landscape of the play map is awesome compared to the earlier games, and is quite impressive with its details and variations. 3.5 out of 5

      Playability: Gameplay is again vastly improved upon by the third installment of the series. Interaction and bartering with your opponents has been implemented/improved. Diplomacy is completely open, leaving you to bear the consequences inherent to your chosen form of government. You may choose from several different game types, new and old, including, among others, Conquest, diplomatic, and space race.
          The AI, depending on your difficulty setting, can be down right mind blowing and at higher levels the computer will actually use noteworthy tactics to bait you into an ambush, gang up and coordinate skirmish attacks, pick just the right time to kick you when you're down, and make concerted en masses to deal the final blow. It's a wonderful range and will pit you against anything from drooling morons to toy with to dreadnaught-like heartless rulers who will keep you around as long as you're profitable, and make you a statistic the moment you can't make full tribute.
          The playable area, terrain types, and randomness of this game will keep you wondering what's coming next, and fighting to improve or hold on to what you have. 4 out of 5

      Multiplayer and Replayability: Multiplayer is time consuming, almost to the point of being painstaking. The turn-based system allows you to use diplomacy and make your moves, but with two people playing on a small map you're looking at almost a day's worth of commitment for just that game. I can only compare using all 8 of the slots allowed on multiplayer to e-mail chess.
            Replayability is excellent however, mostly for the single player. You will never find a world the same from the last or even a landmasses comparable to another, since each map is created uniquely by the engine from you choosing from a list of guidelines. That combined with an incredible depth of player options makes Civ III one to remember. 4 out of 5

      The Verdict:

Third in the Civilization series, this one tops them all. The graphics are tuned specifically for this type of game, and once you get used to the new controls you're bound to love the endless options and classic feels of a great game idea.