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Hardcore fans of Mr. Meier and his long-running franchises of "Wow, it's that late already!?" strategy games will surely remember Colonization from the mid-90's. It sent gamers to the new world and gave them the opportunity to make some money while they were there. That game wasn't technically part of the Civilization franchise back in the day, but it is now, updated, modernized, and dubbed Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization. It's just as addictive as its namesake, but with an abundance of resources to harvest, refine, and trade, it might just be a bit overwhelming for some.

A Whole New World

You know the story: colonists discover a new world and, before you can say "Marco Polo" every established empire in the old world is bobbing over to make a quick shilling. In Colonization you get to jump on the ferry and do the same, following your peers across the pond and setting up shop in some virgin territory. There you'll find a selection of natives who won't necessarily take too kindly to you building right next to them; keeping a little distance is a good idea.

The gameplay is initially very Civilization-like, with you starting with a single settlement, improving and harvesting from the land, and expanding your interests as quickly as possible. But, where Civ has you focus entirely on those growing towns, here you have to focus more on what they produce – at least for the bulk of the game. Squares on the map produce certain goods, things like food, ore, wood, and tobacco. You can assign your people to various professions to either harvest or to refine them, like a blacksmith who will make tools from ore, or a distiller who can make sugar for rum.

Some refined goods, like rum, are best for shipping back to Europe to sell for a profit. Others, like tools, are needed to expand and fortify your colonies. That last bit, fortification, is the important one, because to succeed in this game you'll have to face the wrath of the motherland and survive.

Taxation Without Representation

As your colonies grow you'll manage relations with the various other colonists and with the natives, who were there first but are surprisingly cool about you joining the party. You can go on a rampage and snatch up all their resources, but you're probably better off playing pacifist since there's a much bigger threat looming somewhere off-shore.

When you start, your king will be all helpful and nice, sending settlers over and letting you do your thing. But, as you grow he'll make increasingly brash demands, raising taxes, wanting payments, and even taking a huge cut of any treasure you find! You can just keep paying up and moving along, but to win victory you'll need to declare independence and survive the inevitable onslaught of troops. So, don't blow all your resources brewing hooch when you could be making weapons and barriers!

It's an entertaining evolution to go through, and unlike the generally open-ended Civ IV here there's that very tangible goal of independence, which most will find a welcome change. However, what many will not like is the inundation of goods. There are seemingly dozens of things to gather or create and, when you have multiple settlements that turn into a massive web of trade-routes, it can become a bit of a headache. Managing routes for wagon trains and ships is relatively easy, but getting it right isn't, especially when it comes to food, which there never seems to be enough of.

Exotic Spices, Bland Gameplay Modes

The game looks and plays basically the same as Civ IV, naturally since it's using the same basic engine, so series fans will be able to get in here and play quickly. Graphics have received a slight upgrade, but that's really only noticeable in the updated water effects. Even so, the charming graphics of the earlier game still hold up quite well.

In terms of gameplay modes there are a few scenarios to explore, and of course you can just start a skirmish against the AI whenever you like, but playing with friends is better. Online play is supported through GameSpy, or there's offline hotseat multiplayer and even play via e-mail is still supported if you have the time and patience.

And, yes, there's still that all-important timer in the options that will set off an alarm after so many minutes (or hours) of gameplay, prompting you back into the real world at least for a few moments. Thankfully it's also still just as easy to dismiss.

Conquistador Approved

Colonization adds a great layer onto the Civilization IV gameplay. If you like Civ-style games but also enjoy the trading and exploring aspects of games like Pirates! or, erm, Pirates of the Burning Sea, this is a game for you. However, if your strategic tendencies lean more toward building large armies than building thriving economies, just keep on sailing past this one.

Review by: Tim Stevens