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Civilization Revolution Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo DS Category: Strategy Publisher: 2K Games ERSB Rating: E10+ By Sally Ferguson September 17, 2008

Game Summary
Ah, the many joys of history. The world's various accomplishments and mistakes, all recorded in a textbook for my reading pleasure. The gaming industry has also used history as a plot for their numerous creations. Thus, we have Civilization Revolution. The great leaders of the ancient times, for example, have been forever changed - Julius Caesar, exalted emperor of the Roman Empire, ruled with justice in a Communist country with an endless supply of riflemen. Perhaps Queen Elizabeth, who defeated the Spanish Armada by sending out her fleet of battleships and B12 bombers. Or the greatest ruler of all, Sally Ferguson, who conquered the Russian Cossacks with a single legion of men...and never left her living room.

Okay, so maybe Civilization Revolution is not a game that uses exact dates and timelines, but it is perfect for people who have always enjoyed playing Risk late into the night. The basic setup of the game is to begin, build, and succeed with your own civilization. You can take your pick from several of the world's great leaders and their countries, each with their own significant benefits. The game is basically played in RPG style, meaning you enter a command and watch it take place on screen. There are four ways you can achieve a victory: Domination, Technology, Cultural, and Economic.

Positive Elements

It is called "Strategy" for a reason. You must be careful with your actions, especially in harder levels, and the AI (Artificial Intelligence) of the game will take note of your patterns of behavior. My motto for this game has become "Improvise! Adapt! Overcome!"

I have found that the Civilization games always show improvement in some way when there is a new release. True to my expectations, the graphics are better and there are now advisors to assist you in your decisions.

What Parents Need to Know:

Violence

In times of war, your army will battle your enemy's army. It involves nothing more than both sides taking a few blows (either from guns or swords) before the losing side falls and disappears. Not a spot of blood anywhere to be found!

Language

There is no language in the game at all (the characters speak in gibberish), much less foul words.

Nudity/Sexual Content
x - Characters clothing is sexy or accentuates their sexuality (Ex. tight clothing or low cleavage)

Most of the female leaders show cleavage.

Occult/Supernatural

None.

Cultural/Moral/Ethical

This game is all about making decisions. As stated in Newton's law, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

Conclusion
I am a major fan of the Civilization series and was looking forward to this new game, particularly because it was on the Xbox 360. It indeed was a fabulous game, but I felt as though some things were lost in the transition. Diplomacy has all but vanished, and leaders will offer you trading agreements one moment and then threaten you with war the next. It seems as though your only option of winning is a Domination victory.

That said, I still think this is one of the greatest strategy games I have ever played, and it consistently kept me on my toes. I would recommend it to anyone!