Essential for a game of this type, you’ve got to be able to get hold of some big weapons. Here we’ve invented a PlanetBuster and used it on an enemy

This isn’t Civilization III whatsoever. Oh, no. Don’t go thinking that. It’s just not true.
Steve Owen

Let’s not dwell too long on the history of Alpha Centauri lest we get bogged down with what went before. Suffice to say, Civilization and its sequel are two of the finest strategy games ever made,and a gaming legend known as Sid Meier was the main brain behind them both.

Meier's own company, Firaxis, have created Alpha Centauri - essentially an unofficial Civ III that carries on from where the last one ended. The idea is that a colony ship from Earth developed a malfunction, and in a panic the colonists split themselves into seven distinct factions, concerned not with colour or birth place but economic and religious creed.

Each lands on one planet orbiting Alpha Centauri, and each must build their first city, with the eventual goal of controlling the entire planet. Your first task is to decide which faction to play as, and each has benefits, in a similar way to Age of Empires, such as improved farming or better military personnel. You must explore your alien planet, build more cities, indulge in scientific discoveries and, probably, fight with your neighbours.