Conquering the world, spamming one army at a time.

A game that can allow me to rule over millions of people, count me in....Darn, I should stop trying to write introductions
Story-Its the tale you have already heard in your history classes, so really there is no worry about a story. Its nice to read a little of the background in the Civilopedia, but that is about it. You just follow your empire from point A (when they first settled an empire) to point B (modern times), destroying and allying yourself with other empires along the way. There isn't much beyond that, though its nice to talk to yourself about why you declared war on this empire.
Gameplay-This is where the game nicely shines. The menus and and choices really make this section deep and enjoyable. From deciding on what to build in your cities to what religion your empire is, the possibilities are grand. Though some of the mechanics are kind of useless, they can be avoided. Battling your opponents is where this game kind of goes down. Its a bit too random for my taste, to the point where at certain times, my more advance unit was killed by something less advance or experienced. And it isn't about strategy at the least...Its about who has the most units during that war. I could defeat the technologically advanced foes by just making sure I had like 30 some odd soldiers ready. But other than that, everything else is great. Diplomacy is very good to work with, and advancing is simple yet rewarding. The only other qualms are the AI's stupidity, even on higher difficulties, and the online works at such a pace that you would lead yourself to an early grave before you completed the game.
Audio/Visual- The music is nice and easy to listen to. Its nice to hear the waves crashing against a peaceful shore while you slaughter the people of the city next door. The animal sounds and the occasional grunts from the warriors in their native tongue also add to the soundtrack. The graphics are good, but not on my graphics card. Its easy on the eyes, and you can define what everything is from a nice distance.
In conclusion the game is solid, and a must for any turn-based strategy game lover. The games slow pace and long play times may turn a few people away, but if you have the time, the motivation, and the patience, this game could be very fun. Though you should rack up the difficulty a little, since the AI can be on the thick side. And don't even think about trying multiplayer. That time can be spent doing something productive instead, like writing screenplays, drawing fanfiction, or actually trying to conquer the world.