I was pretty happy then to find that Civilization Revolution is functionally very similar to the older Civilization games – there’s still a selection of starting factions as diverse as the options for the ‘ethnic background’ question on a national census and there’s plenty of customisation to be applied to your ruling style as time goes on. Then again, my civilizations rarely make it to the end-game – I always get outflanked by one faction or another, spread my forces too thin and end up collapsing on myself like an over-eater who finally achieves critical mass and implodes gorily. You can have military victories by conquering all your opponents, scientific victories by being the first to reach Alpha Centuri, economic victories by being the first to gather 10,000 gold and form the World Bank, or a cultural victory if you’re the first to create Jerry Spinger: The Opera. Speaking of which, Civilization Revolution retains the openness of the original games and there are still a number of different ways to win.

When you quash a rebellion or break a peace treaty – what does that say about you as a person? I’ve always loved how these decisions are reflected in the way your government evolves and changes over time, though it is pretty damning that I always end up in some sort of dictatorship by the time the end-game is in sight.

Little NapoleonAs someone who has never really had a stomach for the obvious rock-paper-scissors mechanics underneath most RTS games, Civilization has always appealed to me on the strength that it can be used more as a personality quiz in many regards.

Below we see if transition is as fluid as could be hoped – or as jarring as breezeblock to the jaw on a cold morning. Still, Sid Meier’s Firaxis studio has never been one to be coy – ambition is what makes Civilization what it is and so the move to an arguably more adrenaline-fuelled and casual audience was inevitable.

Civilization revolution xbox one