Pharaoh + Cleopatra

I must say, there's something about this game that is unbelievably fun. It may be old, it may have extremely dated graphics, but the devs really knew what they were doing with the game structure. I can't explain it, but it's just... perfect. I've played a decent number of sims in my life, and I just keep coming back to this one. I had owned it a few times in the past before it before it popped up on GOG, and on just the GOG installation I've logged well over 100 hours of gameplay. If you follow the timeline, the game does a fantastic job of easing you into the management tasks, starting with almost primitive villages in the pre-Dynastic period and continuing on with the evolution of cities and civilization through history, adding things like more advanced entertainment, education and municipal services in a way that's easy to get the hang of. Otherwise, if you prefer you can sort of "free play" and pick specific missions at specific time periods. Apparently you can even edit missions, but honestly I never tried. The music is great. The history lessons are great, and don't feel like a stuffy, boring history class. It's just info you pick up as you play. If you get it, take a minute to read the manual (PDF in the install folder) to get some really great guidance, keyboard controls, etc. Simulation at its finest.

I have been waiting for so long to get this game! My CD based discs regularly crashed on Windows 7 when the Cleo expansion was added, but now I can play all of the extra missions without a single problem! Thanks GoG!

Pharoah is additive, unique and fun. I still remember the endless nights I used to build my mega cities.

Haven't played this in years and am really enjoying it again. Graphics are ok, as per original ... old school :o) Be prepared to spend hours in front of the PC,; it is quite addictive.

My mom bought me Pharaoh + Cleopatra around 20 years ago when I was just a kiddo. I immediately fell in love (especially since Ancient Egypt was one of my main childhood obsessions) I think despite being such an old PC game it's aged wonderfully well. The graphics are stunningly beautiful and have stood the test of time. And no matter how often I play it throughout the years, it still holds up. Whenever I start up a scenario I end up spending hours building my new city. There is a lot of micromanaging the economy, resources, employment, etc, but it's a very fun way to kill time. Building monuments, particularly the large pyramids, is incredibly time consuming but it's absolutely worth it for the end result. There is no feeling more satisfying than completing a grand pyramid complex. If you're looking for a game you'll constantly be returning to over the years, this may be the game for you. I hope you love it as much as I did!