PC City building games: Pharaoh and Cleopatra

Many years ago, I bought an entire package of city building games in a bundle, which included Caesar III, Pharaoh and the Pharaoh expansion called Cleopatra. I was hooked years ago a few times, now I am back on that same issue. As far as I remember, even the latest version of SimCity wasn't as detailed with the effects of just simply building one extra building, and then having to make decisions that in the very long run can change fortune or misfortune.

The ways of getting an income differ depending on the map and mission. There are many aspects to keep track of, and achieving certain goals require some hard decisions. A decision that was working for one thing might cause some severe problems later on (like a sudden overproduction and then not having room for the goods that are traded).

As missions in these games advance, the demands become a lot fiercer. For example not being able to give the Pharaoh Gold and Money on time will bring his army upon your town, while the Bedouins are attacking, money is in a deficit, buildings are collapsing, fires ravage throughout the city, and the trade is going nowhere fast. Raising taxes doesn't actually help much with the money problem, since the population might get upset and leave. At this point in time, you should hope, that you are actually still employing a tax collector and that the tax office is still standing. The main income comes through sales and trade.

There are things to worry about such as various gods, finances, the Pharaoh, warlike neighbours, malaria, fires, floods, buildings collapsing (if you haven't got enough architects), prosperity rating, kingdom rating, popularity rating, food supply, water supply, lack of various services, and so on.

These games are really intended for multiple attempts and a cool mind to get this right. Once successful, it is a great feeling to have a prosperous city after going through hell initially.