In Pharaoh, you are cast in the role of a minor noble charged with designing, building, and running an ancient Egyptian city. You are responsible for the economy and defense of the city - providing adequate resources to industry, goods and services to your citizens, and an army to keep your city safe. What's more, you need to do all this while keeping your treasury in the black, keeping your citizens happy by making your city a nice place to live, and avoiding the wrath of various gods!

Those of you who have played the Caesar games will almost be able to jump right in and begin playing. Pharaoh is more than Caesar III with an Egyptian tile set, though. The economic model has been changed to reflect the resources and products available to ancient Egyptians. Then there's the ever present Nile. Just as it has for millennia, the Nile floods once a year leaving behind very fertile farmland. You'll have to plan your farms and storage facilities carefully, because you'll only be able to harvest once a year. The food produced will need to last your people throughout the year, since your farms will be lying under floodwaters for a good portion of it.

The graphics are colorful and your cities will bustle with life as they grow. It is nice to be able to watch your citizens walk the streets of your city as they go about their daily tasks. Once your city begins to get a bit larger, though, there is a bit too much activity. It can become almost difficult to keep track of all that is going on in your city.

The sound in Pharaoh is done quite well. There is Egyptian theme music playing in the background, but it never quite seems overly repetitive and lends a certain ambience to the game. Another nice feature is the ability to hear how your citizens feel in there own words. Click on someone moving out of town, and he'll tell you exactly why he is leaving.

Page 2 »