I put a lot of hours into this game, so you might think that was a 5/5 for me and you would be right. However, with hindsight I think it was not really life changing, albeit a fantastic and smooth experience. I want to reserve 5 stars for the games that break the mold. Being "clever" is not enough. Chess is clever too. This is merely a more complicated version of it. But I have to acknowledge that his game is very good at one thing. It lures you into its intricate game system and makes you forget how much time has passed since you booted it up. It's cool while you play it, but you might regret the wasted time. In the end there is nothing nice to remember, nothing to learn from it and nothing to talk about once you move on. It is something else though, if you play it with friends or strangers if you want to itch your competitive instincts. However, I am bad at games in general, so I never got into this. Therefore, I do not have this kind of bias in favor of it.
Civilization V is a grand-strategy game with high variation in strategies and tech available to each of the countries. Very enjoyable with or without a party for people who enjoy turn based strategy with opportunities for mass variation in how you spec your tech tree to how you approach diplomacy with other countries. My major gripe is the mostly linear progression in the army building and that sessions can take a large amount of time in one sitting.
Highly recommended regardless due to its completely enjoyable experience.
Highly recommended regardless due to its completely enjoyable experience.