Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri

Published by Sold Out Software
Developed by Firaxis Games
Platform: PC CD-ROM
Released - Out Now
Price : £4.99

Sold Out have many great titles in their extensive, affordable, catalogue but by far the best game I've ever played in their collection is Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri. SMAC as it’s affectionately know amongst online communities was the last game to feature the sublime partnership of Sid Meier and Brian Reynolds. The game is supposed to be the continuation of Civilisation II with events now taking place on Alpha Centauri. Instead of different nations there are factions each with their own particular style.

What makes the game so special is the depth of character in the AI opponents. You'll find yourself hating certain factions and their leaders. Each faction has a natural enemy too and it's brilliant watching the very human double crosses and treachery. This aspect of the game is simply superb and even today it hasn't been beaten; even Civ III doesn't come close. You can also design your own units (32,000 different possibilities) when all the techs have been acquired. You could call it Civilization in space but in all honesty the gameplay is much better than in any of the Civ games. The only shortcoming the game has is its graphics, which look rather basic. Turn based strategy fans can easily over look this fact though.

Everything in Alpha Centauri is subtitled and there are no problems at all for deaf gamers. This is great because it's one of the best games of all time.

Recommendation: Quite simply the best turn based strategy game of all time.

Suitability for deaf gamers: No problems at all

Overall Game Rating: 5.0/5