Genres: Role-Playing / RPG, Turn-Based Strategy, Simulation, Strategy, Empire Builder, Online Co-op / Split Screen, Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer / LAN
Release Date: Win 3.x: March 15th, 1996, Multiplayer Gold Edition: December 8th, 1998
Publisher: MicroProse (1996-1999), Infogrames (1999-2002), Sold Out Software (Retail re-release), 2K Games (Chronicles release)
Developer: MPS Labs, MicroProse (Multiplayer Gold Edition)
Official Website: Archived Official Website
Civilization II® improves on a beloved classic. Civilization, its predecessor, cast you as the ruler of an infant civilization, struggling to survive and prosper in the earliest moments of history. Eventually, growth and exploration brought you into competition with ruthless, competent, but sometimes predictable computer opponents. Civilization II adds depth to the diplomacy and smarts to the artificial intelligence, as well as tweaking features that millions of Civ players had come to know too well. The result is the same compelling quality and fresh challenges for the expert player and a wide-open world to explore for the novice.

Both you and your opponents begin with a small band of settlers surrounded by the hazards and delights of unexplored territory. Each decision you make can have important ramifications later. Should you build a city on a coast or inland? Should you concentrate on military production or agricultural improvement? If you prove an able ruler, your civilization grows larger and even more interesting to manage. The inevitable contact with neighboring civilizations opens new doors of opportunity: treaties, embassies, sabotage, trade, and war.

As time passes, you are confronted with increasingly difficult decisions. First, you must think tactically. Where is the optimum location for another city? When should you produce specific military units and city improvements? Soon, circumstances demand that you formulate strategic plans. Should you pursue war or peace with neighbors? Is it advantageous to change your type of government? Where should you focus technological research?

The success of the civilization that you build depends on your decisions. As ruler, you manage the economy, diplomacy, exploration, research, and the war machine of your civilization. The challenge is to build an empire that stands the test of time. You might succeed where great predecessors have failed. If you locate cities properly, build them soundly, defend them aggressively, and neutralize the danger from potential enemies, the descendants of your first tiny tribe might not only survive, but lead the colonization of space.