Clash of Cultures

It's really hard to assess this one, as although it played fine with only two players, it probably is at its best with three or four. I think it's a pretty strong civ game, and I especially appreciate its idea of focusing on culture, and letting one player have a cultural influence over another's city (especially since that helped me win). The tech tree is a little odd, and it seems like there are some paths that are just plain better than others, but more plays will reveal if that's true. For me, if a civ game doesn't have a short length on its side, it simply has to beat Through the Ages, which is my current fave. This one gives it a run, but I think I still prefer TtA for this sort of thing.

After more plays, downgraded to a 6. I really dislike the objective cards, as they seem unnecessarily gamey. And I dislike that if another player decides you're playing Risk instead of a civilization game, then you're playing Risk.