But how does it compare to the PC version?
It’s not a fair comparison, really. The lo-res PlayStation graphics can make it hard to tell what’s going on, and the lack of a mouse makes moving units or scrolling around the world map much more exhausting than it is on the PC, though the developers did their best to make the interface suitable for a gamepad.

That bad, eh?
No, but anyone who’s played the PC or Mac game is going to roll their eyes, particularly with the long delay between turns - delays that only get longer and longer as the AI players build more and more cities and units each turn.

All right already, so it’s on a console. But other than that, it’s pretty much a straight port, right?
Close but no cigar (there’s a Monica Lewinsky joke in there somewhere). Seriously, a few game options are missing (like setting up the world’s climate beforehand), but most of all, PS owners will miss out on all the freebie scenarios out on the Net, and there’s none of the multiplayer stuff MicroProse has recently added to the PC version.

But you like it anyway?
Absolutely. Just keep in mind that it’s not for everyone. But if you appreciate detail, and enjoy lots of decision-making, tweaking and managing little thingies, it’s worth a look, particularly if you don’t have the computer version.

*Clever tutorial gets you up and running quickly
*Probably the richest and most involved strategy game the PlayStation is going to get
*Look ma, it’s educational! There’s plenty of text to read and – gasp - you might learn a bit of history
*It can be tiring managing all the cities and units with a gamepad
*Most of the multimedia flash has made it in, with some nice Wonder movies to watch