Sid Meier's Civilization III: Conquests Expansion Pack

Conquests consists of three parts - improvements and fixes to the original game, additions to the game, and eight "mini-games" (although "mini" is a definite understatement here). In the "improvements and fixes" category, Firaxis have obviously been paying attention to the feedback they've been getting from the fans, and have improved the worker AI (which makes endgames a lot less tedious), as well as allowing you to access all the advanced worker commands (like "improve this city only without altering existing improvements") through buttons instead of remembering obscure keyboard combinations. The espionage screen has been completely revamped, which makes a formerly tedious process of spying on the competition a lot easier. Also included are a raft of new game preferences, which allows you to customise the game to suit your playing style.

As for "additions", Conquests comes with Play the World included (so don't buy it as well!), and its included scenarios. However, Conquests adds stuff of its own - seven new civilisations (some of them with very cool unique units), two new civilisation attributes (agicultural and seafaring), a new uber-difficult level (called "Sid" :)), new terrain types (including volcanoes - great production, but have a tendency to erupt, destroying everything in the immediate vicinity), new units, several new game types (such as "reverse capture the flag") and (last but not least), working multiplayer support. All these additions are welcome - Firaxis have not only added civs, but tweaked the existing ones to give them more pronounced strengths and weaknesses. The additional units flesh out under-developed unit categories, as well as presenting you with a greater variety of options (for instance, you can now get very early sailing vessels almost from the start, which could well change the way your early game progresses. Also, the late game now features powerful anti-air units, as well as tank-killing TOW infantry and guerilla fighters, to name but a few). All these combine to make a game of "classic" Civ (starting at 4000 BC and playing through the whole of history) even more enjoyable than before.

Multiplayer Civ III has been a very long time in coming, but it's finally arrived. I have only had limited experience with it, but as far as I can tell, it works very well. The only caveat could be that, because Civ games take so long, you need a very dedicated group of friends to play with. Having said that, the designers incorporated half a dozen different forms of multiplayer (from play-by-email to hot-seat to simultanous turns), and there is bound to be a style that suits you best.

Finally, the eight mini-games (or scenarios) are a joy in their own right. Each one has been very carefully designed for maximum variety and fun without sacrificing historical detail. The scenarios are set throughout history, from the rise of civilization in the Middle East through the Middle Ages all the way to WW2. What makes them so much fun is that they have been created with unique victory conditions, requiring you to play a different sort of game for each one. Also, since each scenario is focussed on a time period, they force you to stay in that time period and explore the options available to you there: if you're the Romans trying to conquer the Mediterranean around the first century AD, you'll have to do it with your (albeit butt-kicking) legions - no waiting around for knights or infantry to come along. Each scenario features unique units, advances and rules, and a different tech tree - a lot of thought has gone into these scenarios, and it's apparent.

So, to summarise - Conquests is a great addition to an already fantastic game, and it will guarantee Civ III a spot on my hard disk for a long time yet. I can recommend it wholeheartedly.

not only does it bring in stuff you could do with the editor, like new civilizations, techs, buildings, etc., but it also adds a hell lot of more features and possibilities.

however, do NOT but the first expansion pack (aka. play the world). civ3 conquests (this XP) has everything in it the PTW has.

firaxis has created a must-buy expansion pack for anyone who enjoys turn-based strategy games.