Living For The City

By Chris Taylor

Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile ($39.99) is not the first computer game to make urban planning fun--SimCity did that 15 years ago. But it is the first such game to make you care more about individuals than buildings. You start as the Pharaoh of a band of farmers in ancient Egypt, and your job is to create a bustling economy and build a pyramid. The graphics are so detailed, you can zoom right up to your citizens' faces. Is the Menun'sheni family working? Will little Aswad become a priest? Only you can improve their lot. Ancient Egypt has never been this up close and personal. --By Chris Taylor