Play Advanced Civilization Online

Game Overview

Advanced Civilization is one of those deep, sprawling strategy games where you can easily lose an entire weekend without realizing it. Based on the Avalon Hill board game, it drops you into the ancient Mediterranean as one of nine civilizations—I always went for Egypt or Crete, mostly because I liked their colors. You’re managing cities, trading resources, and trying not to get wrecked by random disasters like famines or barbarian hordes (which, by the way, always seem to hit right when you’re about to pull ahead).

The trading system is where things get really sneaky. You offer three cards to another player, but only have to truthfully reveal two of them—the third could be a calamity you’re trying to dump on them. I’ve seen friendships temporarily ruined over a well-timed bluff. And if you think hoarding resources will save you, think again: the more cities you have, the better (and riskier) the commodities you draw, but calamities are lurking in those decks too.

It’s not just about conquest, though. You’ll spend just as much time negotiating, upgrading your civ with tech like pottery or democracy, and praying the dice don’t screw you over. A full game can take anywhere from six hours to an entire day, especially if you’ve got that one friend who agonizes over every move. If you’re into old-school strategy with layers of risk and deception, this is a gem worth digging up.

Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".