Note that the above quote is an answer to the age-defying question, "Does it work yet?"
Okay, I'm going to try and take a neutral standpoint here. I'm not a *huge* fan of the Civilization series, but then again, I'm not indifferent with it, either. I played, fell in love with, and then grew bored of Civilization III, and that was about it...until I heard about Civilization IV. So, needless to say, I was looking forward to playing it. And, to this very second, even though I went out and bought it, I can still say that I am still looking forward to playing it. Why don't I, you ask? Simple: I can't...it just doesn't work.
There are a lot, and I mean to place emphasis on 'A LOT' of technical bugs that need to be worked out and then patched up before a playable version of this game is guaranteed within every package. If you check the forums, you'll find people who can't install, can't play, or just can't deal with all the issues that accompany Civilization IV (game crashing at in-game movies is a big one). Then again, you'll also find people who worship this game, and I can tell you right now, I envy them. If you're looking to buy this game, I wouldn't advise against it (unless you're feeling lucky), but I would recommend that you wait until a patch is released.
From what I have personally seen of this game, in-between freezing and crashing and system stuttering, I see a window of opportunity. The gameplay looks fun and innovative, looks...the graphics are satisfactory, but then again, you don't expect amazing graphics over amazing gameplay in a game like Civilization. The sound is by far the best aspect of my version, namely the title menu, but the eerie silence that accompanies gameplay sends chills down my spine. Value? To me, sixty dollars is a lot of money and no, I can't just throw it away and then shrug it off. I'm going to try a couple more things before I attempt to get a refund, but I won't do anymore than that. To the people who are thinking, "maybe you should just wait for the patch", I say, "maybe Firaxis should have released a playable version of their game."
(Provided I get this working, I'll gladly re-write this review and give the game the credit it deserves...)