When legendary designer Sid Meier and his Firaxis Games studio produced a console version of their PC classic “Civilization” in 2008, purists howled: How dare they take one of the brainiest, most challenging games out there and dumb it down for joystick-wielding Neanderthals?
As it turns out, “Civ Lite” (or, to use its actual title, “Civilization Revolution”) was the best thing that could have happened to the 20-year-old franchise. Those who had never played got a solid, newbie-friendly introduction. Those who no longer had 10 hours to spare for a proper “Civ” game could get a fix in about two hours.
Most important, however, is that lessons learned from the streamlining of “Civ Rev” have been applied to the new PC installment, “Civilization V” (2K Games, for PC, $49.99). If you liked the look and feel of the console version, you’ll feel right at home here.
The goal remains the same: Build a civilization that will dominate the planet. You pick one of 18 historic leaders, from familiar names like Napoleon and George Washington to others, like Askia of the West African Songhai empire, who are new to the series. Each culture has a few unique abilities — Germany, for example, can build Panzers — but they will have marginal effect on your overall strategy.
You start with a small parcel of land and two groups of followers, settlers and warriors. The settlers stay home and build your capital city, while the warriors venture forth and explore the space nearby. You then assign workers to cultivate your land, and train ever-more powerful troops to attack or defend against your neighbors.
There are many, many other ways to expand your empire. Starting with simple technology like pottery and animal husbandry, you can work your way up to nuclear power and space travel. Social policies aid growth…