Rise of Empires

Rise of Empires is a civilization game that refuses to sprawl: you still travel from the Ancient Age to the Modern Age, but in just three eras of two turns each. Everything runs through a shared Action Display, where you pick actions to expand, trade, research, fight and sweet-talk your neighbors. You start small and fairly powerless, and the map stays volatile: you can be wiped out in one corner one turn and pop up somewhere else the next. War, economy, science and diplomacy all pull at the same limited number of actions, so every choice costs you something else. A 2009 empire builder for up to five, best with four and a free afternoon.