by Cat Sentz

Created on: August 26, 2008   Last Updated: March 29, 2012

A longtime fan of the Sid Meier's oeuvre, I was more than a little bit eager to experience a curled up on the couch console version of of the game. Famed for intense, detailed and lengthy gameplay as civilizations battle for glory a successful console translation seemed improbable, and what Civilization Revolution makes clear from the get-go is that it is far from impossible. Building an empire to stand the test of time is different this time around, and largely successful. A traditional turn-based strategy title, the player's challenge is to guide their civilization and its associated culture (everything from Greece to China to France) to victories just as varied. Growing cities, creating world wonders, advancing technology and of course some military enterprise all combine to create a fantastic blend of gaming delight. At this point it may go without saying: I'm more than a little bit of a Sid Meier fangirl.

What Civilization Revolution gets right straightaway is that it is not a port of the latest installment, or even a sequel. Designed properly for a console experience it is just as accessible to a gamer unfamiliar with the franchise as a die hard Civ fan looking to spread the love to other systems. The former crowd was kept very much in mind as Civ Rev could easily be written off as a distilled version of the PC game; this description only applies if PC gamers really expected to find the same experience, turn for turn, on the console. I may have missed some of the micromanaging qualities of my PC favorite but Civ Rev deserves to be judged on its own terms.

There are sixteen civilizations for the choosing, each with unique attributes that will give your civilization perks from start to finish (Ghandi and the Indians for example begin the game with access to all resources, the Egyptians with a World Wonder). Games that could last well through the night on the PC can now be completed in a dedicated evening, making the experience far more friendly to the uninitiated and busy initiate alike. With five difficulty settings, you can pretty much determine the length of the game, though multi-player is a reasonable variable in that equation.

In addition to Civilization's new found brevity, map selection may be a bit jarring. Don't expect to be choosing your map or terrain, they are randomized and the appearance and scope of the terra firma is a surprise every time. The tempting mien of the maps, as well as the ability to name geographic features like deserts and

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