Civilization moves forward

Matt Gallant has already made the joke about rushing production, but the early launch for Civilization IV is great news. It means that I have to wait a few less weeks for a new gaming fix, and if my earlier hands-on time with Civ IV means anything, I may not need another game for a while.

The pre-order special includes a tech tree map and a spiral bound manual for no extra cost - further encouragement for me to get my money down early once the retailers get up to speed on this offer. I think every game should come with a spiral manual, and tech trees where necessary. Better interfaces and in game help are increasingly making both manuals and fold out guides unnecessary, but I still like them. I'm a little old-fashioned that way.