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A trustworthy addition...

When I originally reviewed the Civilization III game it was a lying, cheating, money-stealing demon, this expansion fixes all of that. The game has received some very substantial interface, mechanic, and aesthetic improvements in this newest expansion. The new interface options, like advanced (formerly keyboard only) controls and renaming individual units, have made vast strides in relieving the original interface's crippling minimalism. As far as game mechanics go, the greatest increases in game playability have come from new science advances and new citizen abilities. The addition of the policeman/woman and civil engineers in the city screen has given the game vastly more flexibility in terms of building improvements and units. Most of all, the police powers of the policeman/woman allow the long-term use of governments like monarchy, despotism, and republic without the hobbling effect of corruption. The addition of new Civs and new special units also allows players who have become bored with the game to re-ignite their enthusiasm for the game by exploring new cultures, units, and advances. Aesthetically, the game's addition of unit naming, something originally added in the Play the World expansion, allows nerds like me to name each unit individually and create a sense of continuity in the advance and upgrade of units. There haven't been any major changes to the graphics, sounds, or system properties of the game so if that's all you want you'll have to wait for civ4. The inclusion of the Play the World expansion pack will allow people wanting the multiplayer experience to gain that without shelling out extra cash for two expansions. It is important to note that if you already have the PTW expansion, you need this expansion to get most of the upgraded features and all of the new techs and Civs. I'm not a fan of multiplayer games, so I'll leave that up to someone else to review, but if you're looking for a good way to squeeze more play time out of the Civ III you already have the Conquests expansion will do it. Oh, one more thing, the conquests and other miscellanea added with this expansion are essentially more scenarios. So, if that's your thing, well, it's there and it's new.