Civilization 2 Mac Review (1997)

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From the archive: this review first ran on the Mac Gaming Alliance (MGA), the Mac games site that lived here on DimensionZ in the late 1990s. It was published November 1997 and is reproduced as originally written. More in the Mac Gaming Alliance archive.

Civilization II is the sequel to its predecessor, Civilization. Civilization II is very different from the original game in terms of units, rules, terrain, etc. While the original Civilization was a success, Civilization II is expected to be even more popular. In general terms, Civilization II puts you in command of an entire empire, you get to choose from over twenty. You also have to keep your people happy, keep other empires under control (including wars and espionage), make sure the environment is not harmed, and make sure your empire grows (either by building new cities or capturing other empires’ cities.)

Gameplay

Civilization II is very easy to play, once you get used to its concept. You basically control cities’ production and move units, both civilian and military. The game also comes with an appropriate soundtrack, with titles like “Ode to Joy” and other unique titles. An extensive map editor also comes with the game.

Graphics and Sound

Civilization II has much better graphics than its predecessor. They look like they were created on a Macintosh rather than a PC. Civilization II also comes with many sounds to accompany events that occur, most of them for battles and wars.

Interface

The interface for Civilization II is done mostly through the menu bar. This makes things very convenient. For those who like to use keys instead, you can control some operations through the keyboard. If you need help, there is a High Council which utilizes video so you can find out what you need to do. Also, there is a program called the Civilopedia which contains documentation on anything you will need in the game. There is also a massive cheat menu, but you will be penalized if you turn them on.

Difficulty

Civilization II has many difficulty levels. Be warned, however, that the easiest difficulty level itself is not as easy as you may think. While you can turn off barbarians, who cause various chaos, you will be penalized if you do. Also, you are penalized if you cheat.

Conclusion

Civilization II is an excellent game. It provides hours of exciting gameplay without severe problems. I highly recommend this game!

Find a copy

Civilization 2 has been out of print for years, but used copies of the original Mac release still turn up, and some classics have been re-released for modern systems. Search for Civilization 2 on Amazon.

Ratings use the MGA’s original 1–5 apple scale. Prices, system requirements and web links in this review are from the time it was written.