Caesar 3

Haha, not consistently, but I've played it quite a bit in the late 90s and then again about 6 months ago. I've always played on Hard (only realized that there were other other difficulty modes after winning the game, lol) and could never beat the whole game back as a child. The game is highly demanding, but also very entertaining. You don't have to win (complete every mission) to enjoy it. I finally succeeded after giving it another try as an adult and realized that I am, in fact, smarter now, than when I was 13, haha, which was a pleasant revelation. It wasn't easy, but I did it and derived a huge amount of satisfaction from it. However, you need to be really into city building but also into history and the Roman Empire to fully enjoy this game, at least in my opinion. This game takes many hours to enjoy, the graphics are still fine, I actually prefer these to 3D ones that came a few years later, and made everything look cartoonish. Caesar 3 has a more serious look to it, somehow. I don't agree with some of the reviewers that say that there are issues with warfare and trade - that's just the game being difficult, there are no issues. You really have to plan ahead for any contingency and need to master the combat as well as city building. I've always found military missions to be easier than peaceful missions, because the requirements on prosperity aren't as great. If you're completely new to this game, basically you build a brand new city in every mission, you have to plan it well, build up the infrastructure, provide residential buildings with services, recruit soldiers, train them, trade with other cities and achieve difficult requirements. It's a smart and difficult game. Some people go truly nuts over it, have spreadsheets to reverse engineer every bit of the game for 20+ years now - I think that's going over board. I also think that most people wouldn't enjoy this game today, due to the patience and difficulty that it requires. I will definitely play again.

This was one of the first games I purchased for myself, and it was money well spent. At its core, Caesar III is a city builder. You begin by creating the most housing plots for people to move to, and then you provide water, and a farm to grow some food, and before you know it you have a sprawling city with wealthy citizens demanding three kinds of food and imported wines! The genius of the game is how your city comes alive as you expand. You'll see your citizens walk through the streets as they go about their job. Click on them, and they'll tell you how their doing. And these people aren't just decoration either. If you build a prefecture, to keep an eye on fire hazards and crime, it doesn't provide an automatic effect around. Instead, it will produce a prefect who walks the streets. Buildings he walks past are safe from fire. If his route doesn't take him past a particular building, watch out! Unfortunately, these walkers are the games biggest weakness. They are governed entirely by the computer, and controlling them through how you build your roads can be difficult, and often results in unusual cities. (It's tempting to put everything on one long street!) But the walkers are governed by rules, and as you get to know them the possibilities for your cities open up. When you have a thriving metropolis, bustling with people going about their business, it's very rewarding. Caesar III offers plenty of variety. As you progress through the campaign, you get a choice of military or peaceful missions to complete. Reading other reviews, it seems to peaceful missions are more popular, but it's worth trying them both. With a bit of defensive planning, fighting invaders isn't too difficult, and the requirements for your city are easier to achieve. The graphics hold up surprisingly well, with enough detail to be clear. Combined with the sounds and music, it's easy to get lost in the fantasy of being a Roman governor. This is a marvelous game, well worth the money.

Caesar 3 is a game I've probably put thousands of hours into over the past 15 years or so. It's always been a game that's easy to pick up and is a game that I've always turned to in moments where I don't really feel like playing anything else at the moment. The game has a bit of a learning curve, but isn't terribly obnoxious. Basically, it's easy to learn but hard to master especially with its confusing AI pathfinding.

The game Caesar III is a beautiful memory of my childhood. Even today, 25 years after the release of this title, I have returned to it with a sense of exuberance. Graphically, the title still impresses with its pixelated simplicity, pleasant animations and wonderful soundtrack. Even today, when more elaborate and complex titles are available on the market, Caesar III still requires a huge commitment to proper city planning, politics, the needs of the inhabitants or the economy. The game still manages to draw me in for hours of this wonderful journey back in time to the Roman Empire. The campaign mode is sensational and with each stage getting more challenging and even more fun than each previous one. Two career paths to choose from - economic or military. Each is engaging and each requires different planning. To summarise. This title has aged very beautifully. It certainly deserves a proper mod to bring it up to current resolutions so that it is even more pleasing to the eye on modern monitors. Thanks to GOG.COM for keeping the memory of this great series alive.

Despite missing some small mechanics from the other historical city builders by this studio from around this time (Pharaoh, Zeus, Emperor) and having those specific Impressions Games perculiarities, this is a must-play for those who like historical city builders and an absolute gem of a game. Play with the Julius modification for bug-fixes and HD compatibility (in my opinion, a must-have). I have not tried the Augustus mod but that would alos be something to check out. Overall, BUY DIS GAME.