Once you get to the modern era of research, you have only one viable offensive land unit, the tank. Would be megalomaniacal world conquerors won't be satisfied with the skimpy choice of soldiers. The game's simplicity is also a bit confining. You can also win by building a spaceship but it takes more time than a simple conquest and isn't as rewarding. Games invariably end with the late era tank and bomber rush, accompanied by naval units if necessary. The lack of any sort of effective diplomacy is also unfortunate. But in the latter stages of the game, where you could be controlling dozens of cities and a hundred or so units, turns can get a little tedious. At the beginning of the game, it doesn't matter since you only have a few military units and cities. If something requiring your attention happens, the game will inform you so you can deal with it. You then move on to other cities and do the same. You simply choose what each city should be building and how its working population is deployed. Through it all, the game's interface is easy and user friendly. You may be able to coexist with your neighbors for some time but, eventually, you will have to build an army. Of course, as with all situations involving different factions, conflicts arise. Along the way, you'll meet the leaders of other civilizations who are trying to do the same. You're the leader of a civilization starting out in prehistory and must organize your people by settling colonists in new areas to found cities, researching technologies and managing the government.
The gameplay model is fantastic in its simplicity, yet manages to offer incredible depth. But, once you start playing, all the mediocrity disappears, as Sid Meier's Civilization's brilliance of gameplay transcends it all. Music and sound effects are likewise simply functional. Terrain and resource types on the map are represented effectively but without any graphical flair. Individual military unit types are represented by unique icons and range from a soldier depicting the basic infantryman squad to more advanced units like tanks and fighters.
Undefended cities have light borders while garrisoned cities are dark bordered. Cities are squares colored to denote their owner with a number corresponding to population size. The game's graphics and sounds are functional but unremarkable. Sid Meier's Civilization breadth of scope is simply awe inspiring, as it purports to capture all of human history within just one game.