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Excellent game, but not perfect.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It seems that most of the negative reviews of Civ 3 are based on it being too hard. From the other side, Civ 3 offers tremendous advantage to someone who almost never loses at Deity level in Civ 2. The difficulty in Civ 3 is a blessing, not a curse.

The best part of Civ 3 is the addition of resources and luxuries. Very true to history, and usually have a substantial effect on strategy. While the relative ineffectiveness of catapult/cannon/artillery is frustrating to a Civ 2 tyrant, different weapons can take their place. The common complaint about "16th century x shouldn't defeat 21st century y" is unfounded. History is filled with examples of primitive and inferior weaponry defeating higher technology.

On the downside, the culture model is rather poor. Though as much as we all hate watching a city switch over to a rival, its not fair to call this feature "historically inaccurate". Game play is very slow in larger games in the later years. (Turning off animations helps). It can be difficult to get a game started in which it seems like the player is not at a severe disadvantage. I've also encountered cases where Civ 3 ignores my preferences for terrain conditions. (Gives me a panagea when I ask for lots of little islands).

One of the complaints that does seem to have some merit to it is the AIs conspiring or "cheating" at higher levels. They do seem to have a sixth sense about which cities are weakest, and "computers only" collaboration is a bit too common.

But in the end, the player can prevail. A lot of complaints seem to come from Civ 2 players who are unable or unwilling to modify their strategy to the Civ 3 model. The added flexibility of play is what makes Civ 3 a "must have" for strategy gamers, though I have gone back to playing Civ 2 more than once.

I was still playing Civ II last week!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: November 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

O.K. this won't be an unbiased review. Simply put, I LOVE the Civilization series. I bought Civilization II in 1996, it was still on my hard drive (and still being played) last week. Sid Meir is a genius! O.K. enough hyperbole, I loaded up the game this past Tuesday night and have spent more than 20 hours playing it in the interim four days. It's just as addictive as the previous incarnations, and there will be people who'll say it's just a "dressed up" version of Civ II but it's much more. While the basic concept hasn't changed (build your civilization, conquer the world.) the way you go about doing it has. Whereas before you could win one of two ways (conquer the world or be the first to land a spaceship on Alpha Centauri) there are now 5 ways to win: the two aforementioned and now you can win a cultural victory, you can be elected president of the UN or you can dominate the world economically.
Graphically the game is very nice, though not 3D and the units are a tad small. The interface has been streamlined dramatically, instead of all the tedious pop up menus you can right click on anything (terrain, city, unit) and get info, change orders, zoom. I won't go into all of the changes, but suffice to say that "culture" is the big difference this time around. Accumulating culture points through city improvements, and wonders of the world is critical to any successful strategy in Civ III. You can make trades more easily and assimilate enemy cities without trying, if you have a better culture than your foes. I bought the Limited Edition but to be honest I haven't even bothered to look at the extra stuff that came with it, I've been to busy playing! If you're a fan of the series you'll love this update, if you are new to the genre, you're in for a treat with Civilization III.

John Nelson..a VERY experienced gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I am a 66 year old gamer who started gaming in the earliest days of Commodore. I have also been a game developer. Civ3 has raised the bar for all games to follow. It can be as complex as you wish. You can spend a few hours to hundreds of hours playing the game. The interface is terrific. The developers have paid attention to the finest of details. The music and graphics are very good. Re-playability is limited only to your imagination. Pay attention, game developers, as the level of this game is your ultimate goal to attain!

Glitz over gutz

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 13
Date: November 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you like, what now is, run-of-the-mill game animation techniques and much slower game progression than the original Civ II (similar to 'Call to Power') and apparently the same 'heavy handed' levels of difficulty, then you will like Civ III.

If you were hoping for faster game play, more control over your 'Destiny', and more sophisticated AI and more surprises, like I was, then you will be disappointed.

I liked the old Civ II GUI and city window better, more controlable.

In short, all I see added is a slicker but less funtional GUI and more limitations on what you can do, or how you can progress your civilization. The slow progression of the game, even after all the fancy animation was turned off was stifling. I never got past a few hours of very boring play.

Maybe there are great new features after 1 BC, but I couldn't stand the slow game play enough to continue.

Give Me a Break!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 19
Date: January 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Am I the only one out there who has been bitterly disappointed by CIV III? I started out at the "Prince" level-of-difficulty (middle-most of the choices) and "Roaming" barbarian set-up. I haven't lost a game at the "Diety" level of Civ II for a long time, so I thought I'd start out mid-range just to get used to the new set-up, rules, changes, additions, etc.). I spent most of my time fighting off raging hordes of barbariabs on horses as I was looking all over my meager island for horses and iron deposits so I could go on with development.

The AI placed me (Japan) right next to Zululand, the Romans, England, and the Americans. Every time I tried to initiate diplomacy the terms were so outrageously one-sided and imbalanced I had to ask: "Why even try???" I finally got to "Monarchy" level of government and was trying to get to the "Civalry" advance (needed so that I could get my special "Samurai" civilization-specific unit). My special game advisor was screaming at me to devote more effort to developing my science capacity but, I could scarcely devote more than 20% to this effort because I had to keep manufacturing units just to fend off the Barbarians, Zulus, Romans, English, and Americans. I had fail;ed to be the first to get even the most humble of "Wonders of the World."

My little fleet of "Galleys" (Tiremes in Civ I and II) finally met up withs Greek BATTLESHIP with the warning that I was about to be invaded if I didn't acceed to their impossible demands they would destroy me. I turned them down, only to be met in the next turn by a horde of aircraft carriers filled with fighters and bombers. I decided to quit and start over at an even lower level and eliminate Barbarians (except at the obligatory village level). That was six weeks ago. And, by the way--my most succseeful game!

I spent virtually all of my Christmas vacation trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. I went down to an even easier level of difficulty and programmed in the most benign of opponents and still have had my "ears chopped off" by the AI. I just can't seem to get into the "learning curve." If my initial introduction to "Civ" (eight or nine years ago) or "CIV II" would have been this exasperating I would never have become a "Civ Addict." I spent the past two weeks in a full-time effort to really try to get to the core of my problems and finally gave up after another disaster. I'll probably go back to CIV III from time-to-time, but right now I feel that six weeks of effort with little to show for it is more than enough time spent in (what seems to be to be) a futile effort.

no more boring nights

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

As a fun way to learn about geopolitics and arms race. how to balance an economy and diplomacy, Civilisation is the closest thing to the real thing. and the turn by turn feature allows you to play it like a chess game, which it is very close too.
Hours, days, months of gaming fun. you save a game and can come back a week later. play for 5 hours or 3 minutes at a time.

and when you go back to reading the world news you say,"hmm looks like my game"..
there is no other such brilliantly made game on the market. yet.

if you own one game for your computer, this is it.

Electronic [addiction]

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Certain games are like [addictions]: they're extremely addictive, they ruin your life, and no matter how much you get, you always want just one more hit. Civilization III is one of those games.

Although warfare plays a prominent part in the game, it's not strictly a war game; imagine a cross between Heroes of Might & Magic and SimCity. You can win the game through brute force if you like, but there are half a dozen ways to win - for example, by being the first civilization to reach Alpha Centauri, or by producing enough brilliant cultural achievements.

You begin the game at the dawn of civilization, with only two units: a worker and a settler. Your first task is to locate a suitable location for your first city, preferably close to food and other valuable resources.

Your worker can be used to develop the land around your city, by building roads, irrigating land, clearing forests, and digging mines to increase resource production. Your city uses these resources to build new units (such as workers, scouts, settlers, and combat units) and city enhancements (such as temples, libraries, granaries, and aqueducts).

Your civilization is constantly striving to learn more about the world. You tell your scientists what areas you would like to research, and after a number of turns you will learn that new technology (such as metallurgy, monotheism, or horseback riding). These technological advances allow you to build new units and city improvements, or perform new actions.

Of course, the world is full of other fledgling civilizations that are doing the same thing. Some of them will become valuable trading partners. Some will become rivals. You can engage in mutual protection pacts, trade embargoes, and military alliances. If you're feeling warlike, you can conquer their territory, claiming their cities and their resources. If your civilization is impressive enough, your cultural influence will persuade cities from other civilizations to defect to your side.

Things really get interesting as your civilization develops technologically; eventually you pass from the Bronze Age into medieval times, through the Industrial Revolution and into modern times (and beyond). Civ3 may be the only game where you can wage war with axe-wielding cavemen AND nuclear weapons.

The interface is a bit tricky to learn, but once you figure it out, it's fairly intuitive. The graphics and sound are both quite nice, and did I mention that it's addictive? A complete game can take up to 8 hours, so remember to set aside a day (or two).

An improvement over a great classic.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I became an avid Civilization fan beginning with the first Civilization title -- but it was the Super NES version, until I got my first PC.

Civilization III has made great improvements over the original, and Civilization II.

Diplomacy -- Diplomatic dialogue is more sosphisicated in Civilization III, compared to the previous two titles. There are many more options and possibilities when it comes to diplomacy, such as Mutual Protection Pacts, Trade Embargoes, and others.

Economics -- Trade has become much more vital in Civilization III. With some powerful military units now requiring specific resources in order to be built, you will need to ensure your cities have access to the right resources, or trade for those that are not available in your territory.

Culture -- Now, for the first time, you can expand your territory without direct military conquest. With the help of some city improvements and Wonders, your national borders will expand over time, as you accumulate culture points.

I also feel that with Civilization III, strategy is more in-depth, due to the expanded diplomacy system, along with the improved combat system in time of war. For instance, if your enemy has only one city with a port, and they need to keep that open to have access to a specific, vital resource, you can blockade that city with naval units and thus, possibly deprive them of being able to build certain military units.

I loved Civilization and Civilization II when they were the current titles, and now, I'm enjoying Civilization III. One single player game can last quite awhile, but I'm a type of player that actually enjoys a longer game. If you're not that type of player, you might want to think about it more before buying it.

An excellent sequel of great series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Simply put, Civilization series is the best there is in turn-based strategy games, and has been since the very first one. If you've never played a Civilization game, you were probably born yesterday, and you need to catch up on the fun we've been having without you. :-)

If you *have* played I and II (and Alpha Centaury): don't expect a religious experience, but it is a reasonable improvement, and is definitely worth your time and money. The graphics are great, and most of the changes are for the better. Culture adds a new dimension without complicating the gameplay, trading is simplified (no annoying micromanaging of caravans anymore), diplomacy is much more sophisticated, AI is smarter, and hero units are fun.

As most people here, I did not like the high impact of corruption and the longer games, but customizing is easy. You can lower corruption and speed up the game with just a few clicks. I am not a big fan of tweaking with the defaults (even though for some it's half the fun), but easy customization is one of the biggest improvements, and AI seems to adjust wonderfully to whatever you do.

One of the best games I've ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am simply amazed at all the bad reviews this game has received on here. I have played all kinds of games, but prefer strategy. This is easily one of the best games I've ever played. The depth and the difficulty of the AI is remarkable, and quite challenging. Those who don't like to micromanage, don't have to. Those who do, enjoy!

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