World History
Civilization IV. OK, I'll publicly confess it. I am a Civilization addict. I have been playing the game for over a decade now through many incarnations. And with the release of version 4, I just lost another weekend...
If you are unfamiliar with the game, it is a bit hard to explain how complicated it is. In essence, you build a civilization from 4000 BC until the present. In that time, you try to beat other civilizations (and barbarians) by expanding your territory, waging war, entering into trade alliances, discovering new technologies, colonizing another world, etc. There are lots of ways to win or lose. I usually play the Romans but I have enjoyed good games as the Egyptians, Chinese, and Americans.
The official description of the game reads, "Civilization IV is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all-time. Now the fun and incredibly addictive strategy game reaches new heights by adding new ways to play and win, new tools to manage and expand your civilization. Civilization comes to life like never before in a beautifully detailed, living 3D world -- with all-new easy to use mod capabilities and intense multiplayer modes and options. It's a must-have for gamers around the world! Flexible Tech Tree allows players more strategic choices for developing their civilizations Team play offers a new way of setting locked alliances that result in shared wonder effects, visibility, unit trading and shared territory. Over 70 in-game movies and animated sequences advance the story."
One neat twist of the new version is control over religions. You can be the founding civilization of one of six great religions. You can also send out missionaries and build religion specific wonders. This is how in my first game in I played the Aztecs and had them as a Hindu nation. Not historically accurate but fun anyway...Particularly when Islamic Germany declared a war against me forcing me learn the new battle rules quickly!
If you like history and like PC gaming, give this game a look. Be prepared to say good bye to you family and friends for awhile. It also might be wise to go on vacation for a week or two...
- Requiem For Rome
Alternate history can take many forms. Sometimes it can be simple (What if Lincoln had lived?) to the unbelievable such as Harry Turtledove's accounts of aliens invading during World War Two. I recently read a role playing game supplement that goes...
- The Grand History Of The Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a fictional campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game. It was invented in the 70s by librarian Ed Greenwood and has hundreds of books devoted to it. It may well be the best developed fantasy world in existence. Middle...
- The Immortal Game: A History Of Chess
I have been playing chess off and on most of my life since I was eight years old. In high school, my desire to play was almost obsessive. However, as I have gotten older, I find myself playing no more that five or six games a year. I think much of this...
- Africa: The Cradle Of Civilization
Africa: The Cradle of Civilization - An interactive educational site that explores Africa's history from the dawn of mankind to modern day. The site includes two lesson plans for teachers, video and audio clips, and games. This is one of many excellent...
- Worldhistorysite.com
WorldHistorySite.com Book by William McGaughey about world history as emerging in five civilizations. Provides some brief descriptions and timelines, relating four of them to changes in communication technologies. From the site: Five Epochs of...
World History
Civilization IV
Civilization IV. OK, I'll publicly confess it. I am a Civilization addict. I have been playing the game for over a decade now through many incarnations. And with the release of version 4, I just lost another weekend...
If you are unfamiliar with the game, it is a bit hard to explain how complicated it is. In essence, you build a civilization from 4000 BC until the present. In that time, you try to beat other civilizations (and barbarians) by expanding your territory, waging war, entering into trade alliances, discovering new technologies, colonizing another world, etc. There are lots of ways to win or lose. I usually play the Romans but I have enjoyed good games as the Egyptians, Chinese, and Americans.
The official description of the game reads, "Civilization IV is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all-time. Now the fun and incredibly addictive strategy game reaches new heights by adding new ways to play and win, new tools to manage and expand your civilization. Civilization comes to life like never before in a beautifully detailed, living 3D world -- with all-new easy to use mod capabilities and intense multiplayer modes and options. It's a must-have for gamers around the world! Flexible Tech Tree allows players more strategic choices for developing their civilizations Team play offers a new way of setting locked alliances that result in shared wonder effects, visibility, unit trading and shared territory. Over 70 in-game movies and animated sequences advance the story."
One neat twist of the new version is control over religions. You can be the founding civilization of one of six great religions. You can also send out missionaries and build religion specific wonders. This is how in my first game in I played the Aztecs and had them as a Hindu nation. Not historically accurate but fun anyway...Particularly when Islamic Germany declared a war against me forcing me learn the new battle rules quickly!
If you like history and like PC gaming, give this game a look. Be prepared to say good bye to you family and friends for awhile. It also might be wise to go on vacation for a week or two...
- Requiem For Rome
Alternate history can take many forms. Sometimes it can be simple (What if Lincoln had lived?) to the unbelievable such as Harry Turtledove's accounts of aliens invading during World War Two. I recently read a role playing game supplement that goes...
- The Grand History Of The Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a fictional campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game. It was invented in the 70s by librarian Ed Greenwood and has hundreds of books devoted to it. It may well be the best developed fantasy world in existence. Middle...
- The Immortal Game: A History Of Chess
I have been playing chess off and on most of my life since I was eight years old. In high school, my desire to play was almost obsessive. However, as I have gotten older, I find myself playing no more that five or six games a year. I think much of this...
- Africa: The Cradle Of Civilization
Africa: The Cradle of Civilization - An interactive educational site that explores Africa's history from the dawn of mankind to modern day. The site includes two lesson plans for teachers, video and audio clips, and games. This is one of many excellent...
- Worldhistorysite.com
WorldHistorySite.com Book by William McGaughey about world history as emerging in five civilizations. Provides some brief descriptions and timelines, relating four of them to changes in communication technologies. From the site: Five Epochs of...