CIVILIZATION: TEST OF TIME
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Civilization has been extended

By PATRICK ANDREWS

OK, so we know Civilization II is among the greatest games in the history of, well, civilization - or civilisation, depending on which school you attended (or were expelled from).

But apart from the Civ 2 multiplayer and expansion packs, there are already a couple of competing would-be Civilization IIIs on the market - Alpha Centauri and Civilization: Call To Power - and the real Civilization III is meant to be out next year.

So does this, supposedly final, version of Civ 2 deserve the support of loyal fans of the series?

Probably. Test of Time offers three variations on the Civ theme, plus animated units, a spruce-up of the graphics, and a multimap feature where players can move between linked maps.

Just as importantly, though, it hasn't strayed too far from the addictive gameplay that has made the Civ series such a winner among turn-based strategy titles. It's still a matter of using the power of might and/or mind to take your empire to overall supremacy.

Surprisingly, for an enhanced version of a classic game, some of the multimedia elements have been taken out. There are no longer movies to mark the building of wonders of the world, nor full-motion video of the advisers.

The omissions are more than compensated for by the animation, improved graphics and especially the extra variety.

The original game has been extended so that you can now start on Earth in 4020 BC and not merely reach for the stars 6000 years later, but continue to develop your new-world colony - while still controlling the fortunes of your Earth-bound people.

It also allows for up to seven people in multiplayer games.

A fantasy game offers the opportunity to play mythical characters such as elves, goblins or sorcerers - or humans if you're feeling unimaginative.

Wonders to be discovered include Excalibur and Stonehenge, and advances to be researched include must-haves for any fantasy world such as magical incantation and dragon study.

It also allows the chance to leap between four maps: land, underwater, underground and sky.

The third new option is a science-fiction storyline  - a series of four linked maps in the universe of Lalande in the year 21185. Probably around the time of Civilization 22000. Now that would be a test of time.

ORIGINALITY 60%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 70%
PLAYABILITY 90%
ADDICTION 95%
ENJOYMENT 85%