Fans of earlier Sid Meier games, such as Civilization and Railroad Tycoon, will love Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, the strategy game where players lead a colony expedition on a new planet. This game employs the same rules and concepts as Civilization, but with a new, slicker interface. Within the game, you can now automate tasks that--in the earlier game--were repetitive and dull. The factions also have a better mix of leaders; three of the seven factions are headed by women. Players begin by assuming leadership of one of seven colony factions, establishing a base on the unexplored world. A balance of priorities is critical: conquering territory, developing technology, and expanding the faction's population are all crucial factors in your survival. If a faction's military output is low, it may be vulnerable to attacks by others or by dangerous mind worms that roam the landscape. On the other hand, building war machines at the expense of scientific research may result in trying to manage a mas
