Apart from this, though, budding Ghandis will find plenty to concentrate on. Pharaoh's focus is definitely on economy and trade, and balancing the books in a given city takes a good deal of head scratching. Each scenario differs in terms of what resources and trade routes are available, so you have to tailor your approach on the fly. The first priority is to attract settlers, then provide reasonable services for them - and everything from water to crime prevention and household goods must be organised.

Second, you'll have to pay for all this by organising tax collection and profitable trade routes, depending on what your workers can produce. All in all, there are about 30 raw materials and by-products that can be found, bought, made and sold, so balancing the economic model is the game's main focus. If this doesn't appeal then this game just isn't for you.

The third priority, though, is to build monuments. This is where Pharaoh comes into its own and really progresses from its Caesar predecessors. At first, scenarios may require a simple mastaba, constructed from ordinary bricks and which can be knocked up in just a few years. Later on, though, you'll have to build enormous pyramids or Sphinxes, requiring special stones which may have to be imported at great expense. Everything must be provided, including a specialist workforce who work mainly during the flood season, when agricultural fields are underwater. Such projects take several decades, and so Pharaoh will only appeal to those with masses of patience.