Live the life of a pharaoh
If you fancy taking your city building ambitions from SimCity and trying to achieve them in the distant past, then Immortal Cities will be right up your alley. It's a complex strategy game that also harks back to The Settlers games and which provides plenty of fun for the would-be empire builder. You're thrown into the sandals of an Egytian pharaoh and are charged with creating a vast empire. You don't get to control your subjects directly but by creating conditions suitable for them, you help them to grow and prosper. As usual, there are plenty of different buildings to create and which open up new career avenues, while you also have to worry about natural resources such as food. Your empire expands as you conquer neighboring areas but you can also trade with them or act diplomatically if that is more your style. As your prestige goes up, you get access to more interesting structures and skills, including mighty monuments such as pyramids. Immortal Cities isn't anything particularly original, and we have seen elements of this style many times before, from Pharaoh to Tropico and even The Sims, but everything is generally well put together so this can easily be forgiven. The game's theme is likely to be a big drawing point for many and in this respect, it is pretty successful. The period is brought to life well with some evocative visuals and sounds that really make you believe you've traveled back thousands of years. The depth of strategy and options on offer here is impressive so if you want something to really sink your teeth into, this makes a good choice.
