E3 '07: Civ IV enters Golden age

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--Set for release July 23, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword will expand Sid Meier's epic-scale world-conquest sim for the second time. Focused on adding to the post-gunpowder age, Beyond the Sword will add 12 scenarios, 10 factions, and 16 leaders to the game. To provide gamers a few days to reacquaint themselves with the spectacularly reviewed original, Take-Two announced today it will precede the expansion's release with the Civilization IV: Gold Edition.

Aside from the original Civ IV and its first expansion, Warlords, the Gold Edition will sweeten the deal with a few extras. Included in the package will be a behind-the-scenes DVD featuring developer interviews and an overview of Sid Meier's work.

Two posters will also be bundled in. The first is created by Greg Hildebrandt, famous for various movie-themed posters, including for the original Star Wars and recent Lord of the Rings films. A bit more mundane but far more useful, the second maps out Civ IV's extensive tech tree, detailing which technologies are needed to advance players' societies.

Civilization IV: Gold Edition will ship to retail on July 17 for the PC. It has been rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older but has not yet been priced. Check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Civilization IV and Civilization IV: Warlords.