Pharaoh + Cleopatra

This was one of the first computor games I ever played. I borrowed a demo cd from a PC gamer magazine that my friend had bought and this little gem was one of the 4 games on the disk. Since then Pharaoh has been one of my favourite games. It really sucks you in. You can play it as a simple city builder and just build build build but you will inevitably end up with a lower score and, most likely, an unhappy population. To really get the most out of this game you need to plan out your city and it is incredibly rewarding when it all comes together. The sound track and voice clips are also some real classics in my eyes. You simply cant go wrong with this game.

City building set in Ancient Egypt where you must manage your manpower and resources to achieve the objectives. But be warned! You'll need large armies to fight off your enemies at home or afar protecting vital supply lines while dealing with wild animals running rampant. There's the occasional wrath of the Gods if they're not happy, and most importantly, keep your citizens happy. Running an empire isn't what it's cracked up to be.

Ever since my Pharaoh CD got damaged in the early 00's I've kept both it and Cleopatra among my collection. Unable to play them but unable to be rid of them. Then I found GOG.com. First game I looked for was this. But alas it was not to be. I stuck around here and played some other amazing games, but I always thought of this. And today I finally am at peace.

One of the best sim games I have ever played. Truly addictive. In fact, the only reason I'm not buying it again is because I don't want to spend days of my life playing it again!

I'd never even heard of this game until it popped up on sale, but this is some real quality. The learning curve is a little steep, but by the beginning of the Old Kingdom, you'll have a good idea of what you're doing and be eager for the challenge of constructing eternal monuments and fending off enemy armies while staying out of debt, keeping your citizens healthy, and avoiding the wrath of the gods. I can't comment on the expansion, as I'm still only halfway through the original game, but what I've played so far is well worth the price.