Installation is as easy as can be. Pop in the CD, run the installer, choose which install type you want and where you want it. Then wait. No registration requests, no system extension installations, just a good pure game install.

From the beginning to the end, the overall feel of Civilization III is of a polished, well constructed, attention to detail game. The interface of this game goes along with it's overall theme very well, but can be hard to understand. The buttons are vague, and many times you need the pop up labels just to tell what they are. Furthermore, you NEED a keypad to play this game, meaning Powerbook and iBook users either need to have an external keyboard, or get used to turning Num Lock on and off repeatedly.

Once you get used to the interface, the game play itself is simple, but the depth of the game is very complex. Most of your actions are controlled by point and click, or using a key or two on the keyboard. Through this, you move your units, negotiate with other nations, build your cities, and everything else involved in the game. But this simplicity is far overshadowed by the complexity of the strategy needed to conquer this game.

Speaking of strategy, that is the biggest selling point of the game. Sure, it has the best turn-based graphics around, and very good sounds, but the strategy is where it's at. You have the option to take on a militaristic, diplomatic, scientific, religious, and many other forms of overall strategy to try to best the other nations. It will take all of your wits to outsmart the Artifial Intelligance built into this game.

No matter how you try to win the game, you will need to build up a sizable army. Whether it's for defending your territories, expanding your borders, or fighting an all out war, military units are crucial. Units have been expanded in this latest version of the Civilization series. Now, they can become stronger, have cool animations when moving and fighting, and can be specialized for different nations.

Along with units, you will need cities. Building strong cities is essential, but if you want to conquer the world and expand your borders, you will need a lot of cities. This is probably where the game gets the most complicated, as you need to keep track of what you are building where, and what you need to build next. Luckily, the developers built a queue into the cities so you can set a bunch of buildings or units to be built, and let the city go for a while. But watch out, if you don't take care of your city, civil disorder will ensue, setting you back decades behind your enemies.

One of the nicer features of Civilization III that Civ 2 didn't have is the culture effect. As your cities grow, and with the help of certain buildings and advancements, your culture will expand, growing your territories. The more you grow, the stronger you get. Of course, this can cause border conflicts with other nations, so be prepared for the future.

Finally, the Civilopedia and Advisors in this game are indispensable. Not sure what a building, unit, or advancement is good for? Look it up in the built in Civilopedia. Need help deciding what to study next, or if you should invade a country? Check your advisors. Of course, the final commands will be up to you, so don't take their word at face value. Use these resources wisely to succeed.

This game seems to have been rushed out the door a little too fast. Occasional crashes are seen on nearly every system (save early, save often), and speed is a major issue, especially in Mac OS X. Luckily, it's not just us Mac users left with these problems, many PC users are also having stability problems. Hopefully, patches will be released to fix most, if not all of the bugs.

Overall, this is a great game. Stimulating the mind in more than one way; get ready to use your brain while playing Civilization III. It sure is one of the best turn based strategy games, ever.

Pros	Cons
Beautiful graphics Sweet unit animations Good sound effects and background music Good looking interface Very in depth game play Smart Artificial Intelligence based off real life leaders Multiple ways to win Integrated Civilopedia and advisors	No multiplayer Slow in Mac OS X Occasional Crashing Hard to play on laptops
8/10 stars