You know, when you talk to serious gamers, guys who really like to open up the hood and look at the guts and engines of games, one name keeps coming up as the best game of all time. Civilisation II. Whether or not that’s true is obviously debatable in this world of Halo and Havoc engines. What isn’t debatable is that the Civilisation series is perhaps the finest example of a game imaginable.

It isn’t cinematic, it isn’t an adrenaline ride; it is, however, an experience that requires patience, long term strategy, short term tactics, plans and schemes and dreams. In other words, some people find it incredibly boring. Some people are intensely addicted to the Civilisation experience. What makes the game tricky to review is the fact that many people who would truly enjoy this game will ignore it in favour of the flash and bang of modern tastes in gaming.

Colonization, yes that’s the official Yanqi-running dog spelling, is a remake of a revered game from the early nineties, using the Civilisation engine. Not having played the original, it is hard to make comparisons and so they shan’t be made. But on its own terms, this succeeds quite marvellously. On your terms, well, that’s tricky to judge. This is a very old-fashioned game and may not grab your attention. The gameplay had me at ‘hello’ but visually it just looks… old.

Right. Set in the time period where great European powers sprawled all over the world, meeting new and interesting people and enslaving them then destroying their cultures and societies. Wisely, the morality of such doings is ignored, leaving out the hand-wringing. In this game, you’re heading on over to America, looking to set up colonies and then grow rich off the crops, labours and services that the natives can provide you. But your ultimate goal is to declare your independence from the Mother Country. That’s pretty much the only victory condition you have.


How you do that is through micromanagement. Serious, serious micromanagement. If you don’t like to sweat the small stuff, this isn’t the game for you because, ultimately, all it’s about is, yes, micromanaging. But the really clever thing about the game is that it all ends up becoming a huge tapestry of exciting stories the game tells.

You’ll have to set up a colony first. To do that you’ll want to make nice with the natives. You can bribe them, trade with them or war with them. Then you’re going to have to start logging, mining, trading, all that sort of stuff. Then, you’ll be looking to set up other colonies, get farms going, especially the rich new crop tobacco, all the while shipping your goods over to Europe, looking to get paid for all your hard work. The European markets fluctuate and what was a premium good might lose you money if you flood the market. And while this is going on, you’ve got three big problems.

The first is keeping your settlers happy, fed and safe. You can leave your little lambs out in the world at work, but don’t be surprised if wolves with two legs off them. Or the poor buggers just starve.

The second is that enemy powers are also looking at the far Americas with hungry eyes, slowly but surely drawing their plans against you. An example from a current game is that the English have invaded the north of my country. Too strong to move against militarily, they’re planted right on a road that could be used as a major trade route to ease recurring problems with food supplies. Sooner rather than later they’ll have to be dealt with, but how?


The third and most consistent problem is the King you serve. You see, the King looks upon the colonies as a kind of piñata. He hits it with a stick and money falls out. Whenever he feels like it, HRH plunders your piggy banks with aplomb. It’s a major game mechanic but it feels like a personal slap in the face, seeing all your hard work go to buy him a new crown or whatever the hell he does with that cash. And the more you make, the more he wants.

While this is going on you’ll be hit with variables and unexpected moves. Founding Fathers are unique NPCs that will give you specific stat bonuses. You want to get as many of them as possible. The Liberty Bell resource expands your borders and makes independence more likely but at the same time, I rather suspect that it lures enemy forces closer to you. If you want to buy animal pelts, that’s useful and a good money maker. Or, do you want to wait a little while, recruit a farrier and turn those suckers into coats for real profit even though it will take longer to set up? What about individual settlers who don’t have a job yet? You can’t have layabouts all over the shop, but finding useful roles for them is tricky. Sending him out into the wilds to recruit natives to your cause as a missionary might get the poor sucker dead. Putting him to work in a factory might be the safest bet but don’t you have the cigar arena already safely cornered? Choices, always choices to be made. It’s a kind of algebra, really, a sort of ongoing logistical problem that sees you constantly thinking ahead, trying to protect yourself from probabilities and eventualities a turn or two down the line.

It’s addicting, clever gaming but more than that, it’s quite satisfying. Every time that ship heads on back to Europe to make a big sale, it’s the same as making a sniper headshot in a vicious PvP battle – but perhaps more so, as it’s taken you two or three hours and some careful plotting to make happen. It is complicated? Yes, actually, it is. But the learning curve is gentle. Obviously, this isn’t a game for dimbulbs but don’t be intimidated. (Although a tutorial would have been very nice indeed. )

That being said, well, visually the game is just plain dull. There’s a feeling of surrender to the confectionary-gaming dependent on particles and Havoc and God know what else they put in games these days but… it’s very boring-looking indeed. Civilisation IV was released in 2000 and the game engine is still tip top after eight years. Not many games stand that test of time. The various colonies all look alike, the individual figures are all quite samey and bland and everything is sort of a 2D blur. Here’s the thing, the game isn’t about looking super-rad, but still, tastes have matured considerably and you’d like to think that a game like this could be visually arresting as well as addictive. Also, the war sections of the game are quite flat. Admittedly, this is a careful remake of a 14-year-old game and no one’s asking to stop the careful, patient gameplay for a button-mashing minigame; but surely some compromise could be made?

That being said, would you enjoy that game? Absolutely. But my fear is that modern tastes have evolved past this game. I’m almost ashamed to admit that exposure to sexy, sexy console graphics creates a bar between me and full enjoyment of the game. But there it is.

If you’re a fan of this sort of game, one that requires forethought and planning skills, yes, absolutely, you’ll love it. If you haven’t tried these sorts of games, if you can get past some flat graphics and put the time in to learn how to play this, you’ll also love it.