If there happens to be some debate out there as to whether or not Civilization IV is one of the greatest games of all time, then the recently released expansion pack, Beyond the Sword, should finally end the argument. Beyond the Sword is one of the finest add-ons ever produced, bestowing the player with countless new features, enhancements, units, gameplay and tactics that elevate Civ IV to something akin to god-like status. When played in conjunction with the Warlords pack and now Beyond the Sword, there is simply no better strategy game that has ever been created. You know those “Desert Island” questions that are posed from time to time, wherein you need to pick one game that would accompany you in to exile? For me, Civilization is that game.

The New Stuff

There's simply too much new content on offer in Beyond the Sword to cover everything here, so I'll focus on the big additions. The most significant new element is the overhaul of espionage. No longer a footnote in terms of gameplay, espionage is now integrated in to your overall economy, allowing you to toggle how many espionage points you accrue from your cities, which detracts from your monetary income. Now your spies have some cool things to do if you gather enough points; fun stuff like poisoning the water supply of a city, disrupting production lines and instigating revolts. Espionage is a fantastic way to cause problems for your enemies, especially if you're softening them up for an imminent attack. No better feeling than successfully initiating a rebellion and following that up with a surprise attack. Of course, espionage cuts both ways and the AI uses it quite extensively, so don't consider yourself immune. In one marathon session I played, one of the AI was sparing no expense in poisoning the water supplies of every major city I ruled, making my citizens sick and depleting my overall population. What makes this great and annoying all at once is that it's all done anonymously and leads to a lot of suspicion and paranoia.

Beyond the Sword also introduces a ton of new units for just about every era the game covers, though the overall emphasis in on the mid and late game. I've had quite a lot of fun with just one of the new elements, the Privateer ship. This is a combat unit that can sail the seas without the burden of a country flag announcing its origin. This means you can attack any ship you see without initiating a war, a great way to upend shipping lanes and frustrate opponents with trade embargoes without the finger ever being pointed at your government. In effect, it's government-supported sea piracy that doesn't have a blame game and it makes for some awesome strategy and underhanded tactics. Another great addition is the Anti-Tank Infantry, a welcome inclusion considering how many tanks infest the game world once production starts, so now players have a proper defense to deal with the situation.