Addiction; it’s something that will plague all of us at some point during our lives. Whether its alcohols sweet nectar, the soothing taste of chocolate or just some good old fashioned overspending, addiction has the ability to take many guises. Computer games are far from exempt from it-quite the opposite in fact. The numerous cases of people becoming lost in cyberspace or committing acts out of character are well documented. But if we’re talking about addiction in its natural form, and the title that has the capability of consuming entire weekends at will, then I can look no further than Civilization IV.

Sid Meier can do no wrong in my eyes. The man is like a Chris Nolan or Jim Cameron, but he flies under the radar, seldom courting attention but always delivering the goods. If Will Wright (The Sims, SimCity) is George Lucas, then Sid Meier is most definitely Steven Spielberg. Admittedly this article may be slightly shorter than to the one’s you’re previously used to as I completely missed Mr Meier’s earlier forays into gaming (Civilizations I-III, Alpha Century) but I intend to gush unapologetically, as when I did manage to catch up with what he was doing. The effect it had on me now results in a wave of euphoria and a delicious tingle down the back of my spine every time I see his name completing the prefix of any software’s title.

2005 was a great year for gaming; F.E.A.R being released on the PC, God of War on the Playstation 2 and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory across multiple formats. From January to December we were inundated with new titles as the GameCube gave its final hurrah and the original Xbox came to the end of its lifespan. This was also the year when my PC collection was at its most bountiful. A tower of software sitting next to my 20inch monitor (I thought I was so cool for having widescreen at the time) comprised of action/role-playing/RTS games that ranged from Homeworld 2 to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 (man how much do we need a KOTOR 3?). And, nestled somewhere near the top of said pile (probably under City of Heroes but above City of Villains) was Sid Meier’s Pirates.

‘Pirates was a wonderful title; a completely unassuming, absorbing game that did away with cheap thrills and was all about the subtlety of play. A kind of quirky, light-RPG adventure that allowed you sail the high seas, bombard neighboring ships and romance fair maidens all at your own pace (some would say this was Sid Meier at his purest). In one, skull and crossbones-laden fail swoop my interest in the man had been peaked. Then, just as the ’05 summer neared its end, I was on the ‘net perusing the usual array of websites (Gamespot, IGN, CNet- the usual) and came across Mr Meier’s next development- the inevitably titled Civilization IV. To any pre-twenty year olds who think they’ll be able to juggle work/university and a social life after purchasing this game…just wait.

Like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol or Thunderball, Civ’ IV didn’t rest on the laurels of what came before it. It clearly strived to be the best iteration in the series and the epitome of the turn-based strategy genre. For a newbie such as myself it was surprisingly easy to get into. Sure, the manual was thick by today’s standards and learning every facet of the game off by heart would take time but, if you wanted pick-up-and-playability it was baked right in. There seemed to be an educational property to proceedings as well (to my discredit I switched off during history class- nowadays it’s interesting but back then all I wanted was girls, cars and movies…not Goebbels, Stalin or the Titanic).

The ability to choose Queen Victoria or Alexander The Great to play as actually made things more interesting, and as you marched through the ages, conquering one fallen city after the next, economy and technology marched on with you. I think Civilization has such an enduring appeal and that classic ‘one more turn’ allure because of the constant feeling of escalation. You’re given humble beings but things quickly progress and you’re always saying to yourself ‘it’s going to be cool when I reach this’ or ‘I can’t wait to see that’ even if your conscious of it or not. Great games have that- titles such as Football Manager and Galactic Civilizations- the feeling of expectation and achievement, but Civilization has a ‘pièce de résistance’, an ace in the hole; Leonard Nemoy. Having Spock’s soft tones resonating over your mouse clicks gave Civ’ IV a charm and exclusivity all its own (and made you feel that for all the hours you were putting into each game, he was there putting them in with you).

The Civilization series has made Sid Meier a living legend. He may not churn out a piece of software every year, but when he does it’s always memorable. He makes games about railways and we buy them. He makes games about clandestine alien invasions and we buy them. He could make a game that wasn’t really a game, just a blank DVD with his name on it and we would probably buy it. Why? Because he’s earned our respect time and again. Civ’ IV is the jewel in the Firaxis crown; a game that asks for your dedication (six hour sessions are not out of the ordinary) as well as your every waking moment. There’s no way around it- Civilization destroys social lives and friendships…but in a good way.