• Classic Game Design Rebuilt for the Modern Era: Usher forth a new generation of Sid Meier's Colonization with gameplay built on the award winning Civilization IV engine, providing the beautiful visuals, famously addictive gameplay and endless fun that are synonymous with Sid Meier strategy games.
  
• Fight the Homeland and Establish a New Nation: Play as the English, Spanish, French or the Dutch and journey to a brave new world in search of freedom from your oppressive homeland
  
• Improved Diplomacy: Sustain peace and support your followers as you engage in advanced negotiations with natives, other colonists and the hostile homeland -- Trade resources, gold and land as you build the foundation for a self sufficient and powerful colony
  
• Historical Figures Provide Adaptive Gameplay: Acquire founding fathers such as John Smith, Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams who will help guide your nation to freedom based on your gameplay style
  
• Brand New Interface: Both Civilization IV fans and players new to the series will feel right at home with an interface that Firaxis has built to be accessible and easy to navigate.
  
• Multiplayer Offers Endless Replay Value: Compete with friends from all over the world via the Internet and Play by Email modes or compete locally via the Hotseat and LAN modes, offering endless ways to conquer the New World.
  
• Detailed Tutorial Guides Players In Their Conquest: Civilization IV: Colonization will provide an enhanced tutorial that will help both fans of the game and brand new players on their way to ruling the New World.
  
• Mods and Community Tools: Players will have limitless options for modifying the game to suit their needs. Firaxis will ship the game with modding tools including a map editor using XML and Python.

>> Read the Firaxis game page

Holy Crap!

Even the graphics seem much improved looking at the screenies you supplied.  The detail is amazing.  Gotta get it.  Course that means another machine upgrade. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

"Hmmm? Should I be excited at a new installment, or should I be dubious that half of what they are promising will actually work the way they portray it, and later feel like a gullible fool for shelling out another $60 for yet another glorified patch that frankly shoulda been included in the ORIGINAL Civ4, let alone Warlords, let alone BTS . . .  wonders if the Firaxis producers went to the same school as the breed of cinema producers who ushered in the era of the Parte Deux, Parte Tois . . . Parte Infinitude Sequel Tradition . . ."

Oops! Sorry, that was my inner monologue coming through . . .

Uh, yeah! . . . Looks great!

Figures.

*runs*

"Colony management is automated by default, but you can micromanage each colonist's job assignment."

"My scout made friends with the natives, who offered to train unskilled colonists as farmers or tobacco planters and sometimes offered gifts of valuable beads and gold."

"With Dan Francisco established, I moved another pioneer down the coastline to found the colony of Dan Jose, but was halted by natives whose generosity had reached its limits.  I had to save up some gold to buy the land, or risk starting a fight that my single soldier couldn't win.  I decided to pay up."

"I had two successful colonies, good relations with the natives, and a booming economy.  It was then that the Dutch King decided he wasn't getting his fair share, and imposed a new 3 percent tariff on all trade with Europe.  Rather than kiss his pinky ring, I held the Dan Francisco Sugar Party and tossed my entire stockpile into the harbor.  The tax hike was averted, but the king imposed an embargo on the sugar trade-I'd need a new cash crop.  Fortunately Dan Jose produces more lumber than it could use.  The lumber itself was next to worthless, but I found ways to turn it to my advantage:  I built a trade wagon and began running wood to Dan Francisco.  This freed up colonist who had been harvesting lumber there, so I put them to work distilling embargoed sugar into freely traded rum."

"All the while, my colonies were generating another resource: liberty bells.  Once these symbols of independent spirit accumulated to a certain level, I was allowed to recruit the first member of my Continental Congress: Cyrus McCormick's presence boosted food and sugar production, letting me step up my rum operation."

"Colonization has one inevitable conclusion:  You must declare independence from your parent nation and win your freedom in a revolutionary war."

"With four colonies and a thriving industry, I got cocky.  What do I need these natives around for anymore?  All they do is take up space, and if I pillage their settlements, I'll take home some treasure!  I had more soldiers now-some even mounted as dragoons-and had purchased artillery from Europe.  All of this against a bunch of natives with spears?  No problem!

Well, that's where things started to go awry.  The first few battles went well, but I'd underestimated the numbers of the natives, and my soldiers soon found themselves overwhelmed.  Worse, some braves defeated a soldier and stole his gun, making the battle much more difficult.  They started raiding my colonies, killing colonists, and stealing goods.  That means it was time to bail before the developers saw me getting my butt kicked."

"As a huge fan of the original version, I am very impressed by Colonization's loyalty to the old design.  Aside from a few details, such as natives behaving more like player factions, pioneers expending gold instead of tools, the way the Continental Congress works, and the addition of multiplayer, this really is good old Colonization reborn."