Release date: February 1996

Building on the foundations laid by the first Civilization game in 1991, Sid Meier's Civilization II made a number of meaningful improvements to presentation and gameplay. For starters, Civilization II was the first game in the series to employ the now-familiar isometric camera perspective and provide the freedom of a map editor. 

Civilization II also introduced new strategic considerations via diplomacy ratings, alliances, espionage, and an expanded arsenal of combat units with distinct firepower ratings and hit points. Leading any of 23 civilizations, players could incorporate units ranging from archers and elephants to AEGIS cruisers and stealth fighters into their armies. 

In addition to assembling and commanding a military, players made every critical social, economic, and political decision as they attempted to build an empire to span history. After founding their first cities in 4000 BC, players had until the year 2020 to achieve victory by conquering all rival civilizations, being the first to build a spaceship that reaches Alpha Centauri, or scoring more points than any other civilization.

The options to create your own maps and to download maps created by other players ensured that no two games of Civilization II ever needed to be alike, and still more longevity came courtesy of two expansions released in 1996 and 1997.

The first expansion for Civilization II added 20 scenarios. Most of them were based on historical conflicts such as the First World War and American Civil War, while others challenged players to prevent an alien invasion or survive the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse.

In addition to the new worlds and maps that appeared in these scenarios, Conflicts in Civilization introduced new scenario-specific units including everything from Ironclad warships to futuristic Starfighters, and even made updates to the Civilization II technology tree.

The second expansion for Civilization II added a total of 19 scenarios with a variety of fantasy and sci-fi settings. After constructing a dinosaur nest and hatchery in one scenario, players might have found themselves fighting for survival against aliens on a barren ice planet in the next.

Fantastic Worlds also included a scenario editor, which empowered players to create their own scenarios with custom units, technology trees, and more.