To automate the flow of goods around your colony, you simply set the appropriate imports and exports, and then assign a wagon train to cover that trade route. Managing these assignments can become confusing because the domestic-advisor screen does not provide an intuitive map of your routes. This becomes more frustrating when you take a wagon train off of a route for a one-time shipment, and then have to reassign it, hoping that you don’t miss a pickup or drop-off. You can name your wagon unit to help keep things straight, but it is disappointing that the interface is lacking. Nevertheless, establishing a vibrant trade network and seeing it work like a well-oiled machine is immensely satisfying, and the fact that Colonization makes you feel proud of your glorified number crunching is greatly to its credit.

An economy is only as strong as its workers, and managing your units is another opportunity for refined strategy. Unlike in other Civilization games, you don’t actively construct most of your units. Aside from the constructible wagon train and cannon, the only way your colony will generate a worker is if you have a large food surplus. As such, you’ll rely on Europe to provide much of your workforce, either through free immigrants or purchased experts. Experts, as previously noted, are superproductive, and whereas native villages will train only raw-material experts, Europe offers not only raw- but also refined-goods specialists (for example, master blacksmiths, tobacconists, and weavers). Much of your gold will go toward purchasing these valuable workers, though you can also increase the emigration of free laborers by assigning your settlement workers to the church building. Some free immigrants will have no particular specialty, and some (such as indentured servants) will actually produce slightly less than a normal colonist. Sending these chaps to school, either in your colony or in a native settlement, will help make them more productive members of society. Educating workers locally takes a while, but the rebel sentiment it bestows on your units will benefit you in the long run. Balancing your ratio of cheap European experts to time-consuming homegrown experts is yet another one of Colonization’s pervasive strategic nuances.

The Redcoats are coming! The Redcoats are coming!

Your entire workforce, from experts to petty criminals, can be mobilized for war if you have enough guns, so as your rebel sentiment grows, so should your arms stockpile. Rebel sentiment (as well as the cultural borders of your settlements) is influenced by liberty bells, which can be generated by assigning workers to your town hall. Colony-born units get production and combat bonuses based on how rebellious your colony is, so it’s important to ramp this up as your prepare for independence. Any war you fight before the revolution is likely to cost more than it is worth. Natives do have treasure stockpiles, but the benefits of their expert-worker training and spontaneous gifts are too good to give up, especially in light of their formidable combat strength. Fighting other colonies can yield resources and gold, but they are often too far away to make fighting worth it. The lack of incentive to engage in other conflicts narrows an already linear game, and it would have been fun to have a reason to mix it up. Multiplayer matches spice things up a bit, given that human colonies are feistier than AI colonies, but even if you wipe out your opponents, you still have to take on the empire.

When you nail up your declaration of independence in the town square, you’ll already be hours deep in the game. Your focus on frantic economic activity will have shifted to militaristic concerns as you prepare to reap the whirlwind. The king’s forces will always outnumber you, and they are generally more powerful than your minutemen. Wave after wave of units will land on your shores, ready to get their subjugation on. Combat is a simple matter of moving your unit onto another unit’s tile and watching the encounter play out. It’s essential to be aware of terrain bonuses and unit upgrades when you plan your attacks, but Colonization helps you out by calculating the odds of the battle before you fight it. In this lopsided conflict, you’ll find yourself naturally resorting to guerrilla tactics, striking out at imperial forces and then retreating to the safety of your inland settlements. When you realize these are tactics that were actually used in the American Revolutionary War (the age and conflict that this game was modeled on), you’ll find that each victory is infused with an invigorating jolt of revolutionary zeal.

Civilization IV: Colonization is greatly enhanced by its ability to transport you to a specific moment in history. The lush visuals make the land a joy to work, and the mix of indigenous, American, and European music sets the perfect tone. When you are marshaling your troops to send them against the might of a European empire and Aaron Copland’s stirring version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" begins to play, you’ll be swept up in the spirit of the monumental conflict you’ve spent years preparing for. Preparation and execution are both intricately wrought here, stretched over a campaigns that generally last at least ten hours each. Despite being demanding and time-consuming, Colonization is a great game that benefits from its keen focus, bargain price ($29.99!), and nuanced strategy.

By Chris Watters