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Pharaoh lets you live forever... and you may need to!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 69 / 72
Date: March 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Where, oh where to begin? I dug Caesar III to the point where it caused me to lose sleep and affect my health. Being a huge fan of Egyptian history, I was salivating for months while Impressions developed Pharaoh.

I was not disappointed. The graphics, while not your latest 3D-Accelerated Zing-Boom flavor, are slick and very nice to look at. The gameplay is all we remember from the Citybuilding series, plus a bunch of new surprises. There are many differences in the way you build a Roman city vs. an Egyptian city, and it's refreshing to see that Pharaoh goes for accuracy in the little details. This is a detail-oriented game, after all. Floodplain farming, the lack of groundwater in the desert and monument building are some of the interesting differences between Pharaoh and Caesar III. Management of religion is improved somewhat, though I still find myself constructing "temple row" somewhere out of the way just to make sure all the gods are equally appeased.

The biggest stumbling block, ironically, is also Pharaoh's greatest triumph: the accurate and detailed process it takes to build monuments. You don't just say "Oh, I wanna build a pyramid" and plunk it down. No, first you must build the infrastructure; guilds must cut and lay stone, peasants must prepare the build site and haul stone. Carpenters must build ramps, etc etc. The process of building a pyramid is excellent, and most fun to watch... when it goes as planned.

Unfortunately, the damn things take FOREVER to build! You may have met all your victory requirements for a given mission four hours previous, but you're stuck waiting for that Pyramid to build. Sometimes carpenters just don't come build the ramps, and your stone haulers are left stacked up waiting to deposit their loads (that stuff gets heavy after a few months!).

Game lengths aside, Pharaoh is as fun and addicting as any strategy game I've played, and the city-building style is always a refreshing change from the "Gather>Build Units>Destroy Enemy" formula that most RTS games employ. In Pharaoh, if you don't make your city work, or plan, or listen to your people, you'll be one unhappy city manager.

This game rocks

One of the best I've seen!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 54 / 57
Date: January 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is in every way as good and if not better than Caesar III. I own both games and I have to say they are two of the most addicting games I've played. They are so much alike and Pharaoh, though not a sequel or an add-on, adds more to the alreay masterful Caesar III.

There are many different perks in Pharaoh that make it very unique and fun. There are gods to worship, more industrial structures, more military units, combat on land and sea, you must make sure your citizens are happy, healthy, and fed enough, provide them with entertainment, law enforcement, and the best of them all, the construction of monuments. This game has pretty much all you could want and it is very easy to learn. The built in campaign teaches you how to play as you progress into the game. You can even interact with your citizens and see what they think of your wonderful city. But you better keep them happy because if you don't, they could revolt and turn your wonderful riches into worthless rubble!

If you haven't been able to grasp the concept of city building games or have never been very good, I suggest you try this one out! I'm sure you won't be sorry! I was never any good either, and look where I ended up, I can't put in down!

Insanely Addictive!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 35 / 37
Date: December 01, 1999
Author: Amazon User

I think Derek G missed the point.

Your farm workers stand in the flood and drowned because you haven't built a place for them to take the food. Simple really. That's what I love about this game.

Everything has a point and a purpose. I've been playing for about two weeks straight now, 3-4 hours a day... I was very frustrated for the first 10 days or so and now I've finally figured it out. Everything effects everything... If you want to play a complete city building game, this is the one. Great graphics, great cause and effect, and even the music doesn't get too annoying. You will lose sleep over this game!

Great, but not perfect

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 43 / 50
Date: January 31, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Pharaoh is the next installment in the Sirrea City-Building series. It is set in Ancient Egypt, where you build cities for the Pharaoh. Pharaoh is a great game. It has nice graphics, similar to SimCity 3000 (no zooming though. Set zoom level). The building toolbar is easy to use, and the game is all around smooth. The bad part of the game is that it can be very frustrating. In Pharoah, your food goes to your storage yards, and then to the bazaars. The bazaar people then deliver food (a little backwards?) to the surrounding nieghborhoods. Sometimes you can have 500 pieces of meat in the bazaars, but the bazaar people don't sell it. They just sit there, while people starve and move out of the city. Really though, there is no major flaws. The number of buildings you can put in is vast, sometimes you look at the screen, and can not find two buildings alike. The game will run on a P166 okay, with the res. down to 640x480. I have tried the higher resolutions, and everything is too small. This is a game that in many ways in like SimCity, and is very well built. Bravo Sirrea!

This one's definately a keeper!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 24
Date: July 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

As I moved closer to age 40, I began looking for games that were comprised of more than just shoot-em-up as fast as you can and keep-your-heart-racing-until-your-chest-explodes! During the last few years I've played SimCity 2000 & 3000, Civilization II, Civilization Call to Power, Settlers III, Caesar II and Caesar III.

Above all, my absolute favorites are Caesar III and Pharaoh (and soon to add Cleopatra Expansion pack).

Not only does one have the option of designing a beautiful city, but to succeed must learn to make things work as well, solving problems along the way to make the city run smoothly and properly.

Living conditions play a major role in how the game goes along. If they deteriorate, people are going to physically leave, moving out of the city before the player's eyes. Of course, an exodus like this can cause major problems in providing employment to much needed services. If people have no food or taxes too high they are likely to resort to crime or even rioting. The "god" effects (though optional--can be turned off) are absolutely astounding! Keep them happy and the rewards are great--anger them and suffer their wrath!

Other features such as fires and collapsing buildings can be frustrating at first, but once one learns how to handle them soon become a thing of the past. That's all part of "learning" how to build the best city one can--after all, fires and falling down buildings have always been a reality.

The player learns to depend on trade for revenues to keep the city functioning, and it's fun to watch the donkey caravans stopping at storage yards to buy and sell goods.

If city-building isn't a player's strong point and military is, that option is included as well. Along the military path winning criteria for each mission varies greatly from the more peaceful missions. Monuments are less grand, thus less time- and resource-consuming to build. Culture and Prosperity rating requirements are lower, giving the player the time and resources needed to concentrate on keeping their city safe rather than the epitomy of Egyptian society. (After all, at times just keeping a city is more useful to Pharaoh than if it contains the highest level of entertainment attainable.)

Since there is no "set" path one has to take in the game (you can inter-weave peaceful missions with military ones), and the fact a scenario editor is available from Impressions by downloading (and will be included in the new Cleopatra expansion), this game has great re-playability. There are also several websites available where one can download fan-made scenarios and get help for just about any predicament one would find themselves in.

I've been playing this game since I finally got mine in January or February, and I really can't see myself giving it up any time soon. :o)

Deceptive, Addictive & Down Right FUN!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 26
Date: November 19, 1999
Author: Amazon User

A take off on the Caesar City Building Series from Sierra, Pharaoh is easy to learn but deep to play. I too have had to "replay" a session as I wind up deep in debt trying to build this, or trade that! It does have online help,if you use it-I didn't at first and wound up broke! I am an avid Strategy Gamer from way back, I like Heroes, Age of Empires, StarCraft etc but have found myself staying up until the YAWN Hours playing Pharaoh! I say TRY it you'll soon be up with the rest of us!

the most addictive game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 22 / 22
Date: November 13, 1999
Author: Amazon User

ok ,let me get this out of the way. i am an older gamer and compulsive when it comes to buying computer games,however most wear thin very fast. Pharaoh is the most addictive game i,ve ever bought.this game is not easy however. after defeat after defeat i decided to read the manual. this is a wonderful stay up to dawn city builder that makes sim city look like something for the kindergarten set.i have ceasar 2 by the same company, impressions, but this has the playability that i,ve only found in age of empires 2. if you want a kiddy clickfest look elsewhere but if you want a well thought out deep and playable game that,s not easy but fun give this one a try.

Great Game, Good History Lesson

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 27
Date: February 24, 2001
Author: Amazon User

"Pharaoh" is a city-building game that takes the player from pre-dynastic times (3500 -4000BC) through the Old, Middle, Intermediate Periods to the end of the New Kingdom (ca 400 BC). Each period is made up of several missions that involve your "dynasty" in building a historical Ancient Egyptian city/settlement. To do this you must house, feed, and employ enough workers to achieve your goals, which involve population level, culture, wealth, military success, and of course monuments. In addition, you also must contend with the harsh environment and appease the gods. One of the best aspects of the game is there is NO time limit. Players can build as fast or slowly as they like. The overall effect of the game is a reasonable ancient history lesson. One sees the,literally, life-or-death importance of the annual Nile flood (in fact, failure of the floods may be behind the Pharaoh's loss of power and the rise of the Nomarchs in the Intermediate Period), and the extent that trade both inside Egypt and with "Asiatics" dominated city life. What most people associate with ancient Egypt: tombs and temples are also important here. Monument building takes enormous resources to complete as it did historically. Some things have been compressed or simplified for game play. For instance, the game uses "debens" as currency though there's no evidence, yet, that the ancient Egyptians used coins (not until the Hellenistic period well after the game period). But, as a convenient way to show the movement of goods and services, and to track wealth, it works well. Also, Egyptian religion was extremely complicated by modern standards, with gods changing and merging over time. The game reduces this to four basic gods, with differing powers. Again, a reasonable simplification that demonstrates how the Egyptians related to their religion. (As another reviewer said, monument building for the larger Pyramid Complexes and Temples can take literally decades of game-time. To speed this up, select the "Pyramid Speed Up" option. When this is "on" the gods will assist your monument project, provided they are pleased with your devotion.) Highly recommended as a simulation of ancient Egypt and a great game.

Very Addictive Playing, Custom games offer replay value

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 17
Date: November 14, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Since this uses the same game engine as Cesar III it was and educational experience. I've never played any of the Cesar games, but I enjoyed this game. After the first game I was hooked. This game is for people who like games like Sim City, where you have no control of the people in your city. The music is soothing and mysterious. One knock is the autosave feature, although it is good to have it, when the game autosaves, it pauses the whole game.

Well thought out

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 17
Date: August 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

First, after watching a set of shows on Egypt - specifically the era covered in this game - I'm really happy with the level of historical 'accuracy' and the way the culture is distinct.

I also like the way the games get harder as you advance in time. The usual setup. More things are added, more things to balance, more expert workers to support on the backs of the peasants to make for a better life for everyone.

But, it's placed in historical context, so it makes sense.

The game interface is good and easy to pick up - the increasing difficulty makes asimilation easier.

Two things are slightly frustrating:

1 - It's hard to get things to go where you want.

a - Sometimes you have to micromange what goes where a little too much for results. It's really easy to end up with storage yards full of pottery, that then has to be redistributed to the citizens, but since each bazaar has only one delivery person, and they are often so busy getting food, the city never really develops. Of course, you can build more storage yards and more bazaars, but they require more people who require more bazaars... You get the idea. There is a lot of optimization.

b - There are limited ranges of effect for the various specialty buildings - temples, libraries, etc. This means that unless you plan way ahead, it's easy to strangle growth in an area since there is no where to put the new service that the area needs to evolve to nicer housing without tearing down housing to create a place to put the new building. And of course, tearing down housing costs you workers (see (a) above).

I often finding myself deciding if I want the people to be healthy and not pay taxes or pay taxes and die of plague. Or, even worse, have the Gods curse my city (full of healthy taxpayers) because of insufficient respect. Argh!

2 - There is too little water.

You need to have farms (with granaries, work camps and storage yards) and docks (with storage yards) on the river, as well as housing (houses need to be near wells). And of course, there's fishing, clay pits (for bricks and pottery), reed gathering and hunting. By the time you get done putting everything by the river that needs to be near the river, there's no river left! If you have rock quarries for building pyramids, the workers will live in lousy housing, and will make everyone unhappy.

Of course, the limited resources and problems in building nice cities are historically accurate, so even the stuff I don't like makes sense.

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