Sid Meier's Civilization II

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 511 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 431 out of 511
  2. Mixed: 49 out of 511
  3. Negative: 31 out of 511
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  1. Sheaulle
    Apr 13, 2003
    10
    Even today this game is addictive! If you don't have it and don't have the money for its successor "Civ III" buy it. "Civ II" will bring hours, days, weeks, months and - believe me - years of fine entertainment to you. There are countless user maps/mods available, and there are still coming new ones - often with a historically educational or compelling fantasy plots. Even today this game is addictive! If you don't have it and don't have the money for its successor "Civ III" buy it. "Civ II" will bring hours, days, weeks, months and - believe me - years of fine entertainment to you. There are countless user maps/mods available, and there are still coming new ones - often with a historically educational or compelling fantasy plots. Nevertheless it's very cheap now. In Europe you get it for app. $5,--. Note: There are several versions available, such as "Civ II Gold edition" with multiplayer abilities and two official add-on packs or "Civ II - Test of Time" with improved graphics and gameplay, also multiplayer, but no editor and a lack of compatibility to original Civ II scenarios. I recommend both of them. … Expand
  2. W
    Oct 6, 2007
    10
    The best. As old as it is, no strategy game has really outdone this, which is a shame.
  3. GregW.
    Mar 9, 2005
    10
    The King of all empire-building games, the standard against which all are measured. The balance between features and playability has not been equaled since - Civ 3 was a step backward, with too many changes and additions that upset the basic playing experience.
  4. [Anonymous]
    May 16, 2008
    10
    Great strategic game, even it has bad graphics it is one of the best games ever.
  5. Will
    Nov 17, 2006
    10
    Peerless. Civ II is still the standard by which I judge this genre and despite many solid follow-ons & copycats, I still enjoy occaisionally loading it up for a game.
  6. DavidJones
    Dec 26, 2006
    10
    This is the game by which all others playability are judged. III, IV, V, ... etc. none will ever be as fun as Civ 2! Because they are all to complicated, Civ 2 got it just right, I keep trying to find other games to play, and keep coming back to many happy, challenging hours of Civ 2. Designed my own maps, units, etc. James D -what are you crazy!? Somebody delete that 1 vote! HowThis is the game by which all others playability are judged. III, IV, V, ... etc. none will ever be as fun as Civ 2! Because they are all to complicated, Civ 2 got it just right, I keep trying to find other games to play, and keep coming back to many happy, challenging hours of Civ 2. Designed my own maps, units, etc. James D -what are you crazy!? Somebody delete that 1 vote! How could you go from Civ II back to Civ 1!?… Expand
  7. whitesun11
    Jul 30, 2013
    8
    This is definitely good game. But not excellent. I am fan of Civilization series, played a lot even Civilization I (which, in my opinion is slightly better than this). And I'll try to explain, why.

    Despite so addictive gameplay, graphics could be better (at least more user friendly, more readable). Also when your civilization is big enough there are too many unnecessary clicks at the    This is definitely good game. But not excellent. I am fan of Civilization series, played a lot even Civilization I (which, in my opinion is slightly better than this). And I'll try to explain, why.

    Despite so addictive gameplay, graphics could be better (at least more user friendly, more readable). Also when your civilization is big enough there are too many unnecessary clicks at the endgame dealing with cities micromanagement. Barbarian spawning is not logical. And unhappy people in the cities at the endgame are too annoying and again not so logical too. City management interface could be better. For example when you are in the city mode, you cannot see amount of maintenance cost.    … Expand
  8. femmefatal
    Sep 1, 2011
    10
    This is the BEST all time Civilization game bar none. It is better than Civ III and definitely better than Civ V (which is the worst of the series). Civ IV gives it a close challenge but II is still the best and most challenging. Pay no attention to that FOOL who says it's the worst game ever he's just mad cause his pew pew game didn't get 1st place in something. If you love strategy youThis is the BEST all time Civilization game bar none. It is better than Civ III and definitely better than Civ V (which is the worst of the series). Civ IV gives it a close challenge but II is still the best and most challenging. Pay no attention to that FOOL who says it's the worst game ever he's just mad cause his pew pew game didn't get 1st place in something. If you love strategy you will love CIV II.… Expand
  9. thevaliant
    May 17, 2013
    10
    This is the second best computer game I have ever played. And I played it nearly continuously for a period of six years. I could not recommend it more strongly.

    Civ 3 didn't cut it, though Civ 4 is also very good.

    (The best game ever? Hearts of Iron 2)
  10. YeshuaAgapao
    Nov 2, 2011
    10
    My 2nd favorite game while I was in college 1997-1999 (Master of Orion II was 1st). Modding is in text files, but still understandable by non-coder season users.
  11. Fall_Guy
    Jul 4, 2013
    10
    17 years on and Civ II is one of the greats. For anyone willing to invest a few hours to learn the game mechanics, they will find a world that is as immersive, expansive, and definitely addictive as any modern game. Plus you get to learn about history! The graphics for the time were excellent, as was the sound design(!). I personally sunk many hundreds of hours into this one as a17 years on and Civ II is one of the greats. For anyone willing to invest a few hours to learn the game mechanics, they will find a world that is as immersive, expansive, and definitely addictive as any modern game. Plus you get to learn about history! The graphics for the time were excellent, as was the sound design(!). I personally sunk many hundreds of hours into this one as a teenager... time well spent!… Expand
  12. Picard
    Aug 23, 2014
    10
    Civilization II is an excellent turn-based strategy game, one that probably set goalposts for the genre. Even though it is an old game, it has an ageless quality which will keep it relevant for years to come.
  13. Shockwave
    Sep 9, 2010
    10
    My fondest memories of this game were creating death trap scenarios for my friend in high school. The only dislike I had for this game were the epic voyages caravans had to take, sometimes spanning thousands of years. Other than that, pure awesome.
  14. ddorent
    Dec 10, 2010
    10
    Like wine it gets better with age. my all time favorite game . fun, deep , smart.
  15. iseeall
    Dec 10, 2015
    10
    An excellent 4x strategy game which improved everything Civilization 1 had. Civ 2 system was then even further improved by the same development team in Alpha Centauri, yet even Civ 2 by itself offers great experience and huge replay value. I've played hundreds of campaigns in it for maybe 10 years. Compared to later sequels Civ 2 feels a pretty hard game on Deity level, mostly due to veryAn excellent 4x strategy game which improved everything Civilization 1 had. Civ 2 system was then even further improved by the same development team in Alpha Centauri, yet even Civ 2 by itself offers great experience and huge replay value. I've played hundreds of campaigns in it for maybe 10 years. Compared to later sequels Civ 2 feels a pretty hard game on Deity level, mostly due to very powerful barbarians appearing in the beginning of the game, and a somewhat too random outcomes of battles. Democracy is also a seriously overpowered government due to huge population boosts while you have >50% happy citizens (and all others content) in cities, making it best even for war-time. If you find Diety too easy (which it is), try playing it extra-hard by making your starting settlers sleep for 100 turns. Or restart the game until you get a map where you appear on the North or South pole. Or play with 1 city only (the OCC challenge which was later added as game feature in Civ 4 or 5). Or you can edit the rules of the game by opening the txt file in the game's installation folder - it's that easy. I've played all the games in Civ series and must say that apart from Alpha Centauri, Civ 2 still remains the best in the series. After Alpha Centauri polished the model to almost complete perfection, the later sequels were just money grabs done by random people trying to squeeze yet even more from the fans and adding questionable changes for changes' sake. If you are too young to have seen Civ 2 or Alpha Centauri, resist your revulsion with their obsolete graphics and get some patience to dig thru the rules which sadly aren't well explained by today's standards. Civ 2 and AC are truly gaming classics which inspired a whole generation of gamers.… Expand
  16. mrjohno
    Jan 14, 2013
    10
    I spent the best part of my childhood playing this game and it taught me a tremendous amount about how the world developed over a series of years. It is still worth picking up, particularly if you like this turn based expansionist games
  17. PreWarp
    Apr 26, 2013
    10
    If I even hear the music to this game I'm glued to the screen for the next 9 hours. Very addictive and just a down right glorious game. This game captivated me from the very beginning, and looking back its still in my top 5 All Time Favorite games.
  18. Hurley
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    I have very very cheerfully given hours of my life to this game. The 'just another turn' aspect is, for me, the standard by which all other games are judged. The balance of elements, the surprises (i found some after over a year of playing!), the range of difficulties from casual up was effective as a training approach and the strategy you use at the easiest level often wont work at theI have very very cheerfully given hours of my life to this game. The 'just another turn' aspect is, for me, the standard by which all other games are judged. The balance of elements, the surprises (i found some after over a year of playing!), the range of difficulties from casual up was effective as a training approach and the strategy you use at the easiest level often wont work at the highest level (I still hate those Zulus!) all adds to the game for me.… Expand
  19. Pershonkey
    Jun 10, 2015
    10
    Absolutely incredible - this game is proof that gameplay trumps hollow graphics. Honestly one of the best games ever made, even though it's almost 2 decades old. It's a shame even the ports are all but obsolete too. The future will be missing a classic of gaming if this disappears.
  20. jeffciv
    Jan 1, 2016
    10
    Flat out: One of the best computer games of all time. Great gameplay, excellent modding, outstanding 2D graphics. Civ II Multiplayer Gold is the best version (5.04).

    Although Brian Reynolds could have improved certain programming aspects which hinder high-level playing. For example (technical terms coming!), he assumed that no player could generate more than 32,767 science beakers    Flat out: One of the best computer games of all time. Great gameplay, excellent modding, outstanding 2D graphics. Civ II Multiplayer Gold is the best version (5.04).

    Although Brian Reynolds could have improved certain programming aspects which hinder high-level playing. For example (technical terms coming!), he assumed that no player could generate more than 32,767 science beakers per turn... which means if you earn the 32,768th beaker, your science suddenly "drops" to -32768 and begins counting "up" again!! That is because he chose to store science as a two's-complement, 16-bit variable... the most significant bit (the 16th bit) is used to indicate negative values, and 2^16 =32,768 (the binary value of the 16th bit is 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1024 2048 4096 8192 16384 **32768**), which means 1000000000000000 binary and -32768 in binary two's complement. So in effect, earning 1 beaker reduces your science by -65,536 !!!

    The pathfinding, and the programming Brian took to make the game run so well on machines that and 1,000 to 100,000 times less powerful than today's is not perfect, but has aged well. Today's games, especially including AAA+ games, have (from a customer's point of view) often not improved substantially in 20 years. Witness the debacle of September 2013's Rome II Total War, with Romans jumping off siege engines, barbarians running in circles (mosh pits? lol), and cavalry charging through pikemen.

    The isometric game view, the 2-D graphics, the acting (yes real humans!) and voices, and of course front and center the Gameplay.

    One of the true top five PC games, of any genre, of all time. And it continues to stand the Test of Time!    … Expand
  21. MarcS.
    Jun 26, 2008
    0
    this game was one of the WORST games iv ever played EVER. I was compleatly bored the whole way through and would not recommend this game to anyone out of fear of them killing themselves out of bordem.
  22. GeorgeH.
    Jan 24, 2004
    10
    The best.
  23. Ian277
    Jan 25, 2011
    8
    i played civ three first so i will probubly underestemate this game but here i go. this game is very fun and addictive. i like the gameplay and basicly alot about it. it is far to simple to be given a nine but it sure is better than 4.
  24. Discord
    May 19, 2012
    10
    The second best Civilization game made to date. Leaves Civ IV, the worst in the series, in the dust and gives Civ V a run for its money. Civ II is a fun strategy game with astounding scenarios even in the Vanilla game. Definitely a solid game with great gameplay.
  25. sealjo
    May 31, 2014
    10
    One of the best games ever. Can consume thousands of hours. Civ V is a better game but it takes ages to play, leaving it much less rewarding. If only the AI wasn't quite so stupid when it came to automated settlers, refusal to play a diplomatic game and a few other things.
  26. theirrelephants
    May 25, 2018
    10
    I still play this 22 years after release.

    I think that says it all, really.
  27. notsolittlejon
    Jan 28, 2013
    9
    An extremely addictive and well-rounded turn-based strategy game with long-lasting appeal. I found the WWII scenario to be delightfully challenging and fun. Even though Civ V is now available, Civ II still maintains a level of enjoyment that makes it worth going back to again and again.
  28. carlosgtardon
    Jun 10, 2014
    10
    Bajo mi punto de vista uno de los videojuegos de estrategia más completos de la historia, curva de dificultad moderada, fácil de acceder, muy generoso. Sin duda el escenario de la segunda guerra mundial es la situación que más he rejugado nunca, jamás me cansaba de ella, cada vez cogiendo un bando distinto.
  29. tseikku
    Jan 6, 2016
    10
    Civilization II is probably the best game I have ever played. I have played it at least hundreds of hours - maybe thousands of hours. All new strategy games will always be compared to this classic masterpiece. The most current game of the series - Civilization V - has very nice graphics but it isn't as addictive as Civ II.
  30. XPowerBlazeX
    Apr 14, 2016
    10
    I have just discovered the magnificence of the Civilization series as I wasn't a big fan of strategy games before I decided to give Civilization a shot. I played them briefly before, but never seemed to get into them. That was until I played Civilization II! I watched some game play footage on YouTube and bought the game immediately soon after! When I completed the tutorial given to you inI have just discovered the magnificence of the Civilization series as I wasn't a big fan of strategy games before I decided to give Civilization a shot. I played them briefly before, but never seemed to get into them. That was until I played Civilization II! I watched some game play footage on YouTube and bought the game immediately soon after! When I completed the tutorial given to you in the manual and started my first game, I played from 10:00pm till 4:00am! You really do keep saying "one more turn!" This is where that motto started! This was the start of the legacy Civilization now has! Civilization was the first game, but it didn't get deep and defined until the sequel. Yes, I am hooked! It's such a deep game and you're always learning something new each time you play! There's an immense amount of strategies you can implement and the clever AI and random elements really keep the game fresh!

    I recommend this game to anyone! You should give this game chance! Especially if you love board games, strategy games, RPG games or even simulation games!    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 1996
4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 1996
2
#2 Most Shared PC Game of 1996

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Gamezilla!
    94
    While those looking for a revolutionary new game may not be entirely satisfied, any serious gamer who can even imagine enjoying this game probably will.
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  2. All Game Guide
    100
    It is an incredible and very addictive game; once you start playing you won't want to stop... You will want to play Civilization II over and over, as every game is different.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    92
    Microprose managed to add a score of new play elements that help the aging strategy classic evolve - without sacrificing the game’s addictive qualities.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »