There are some gaps in the tutorial, however, that leave you to figure out the subtleties of the game on your own. For example, the build system for units, wonders, and buildings could use better explanation in terms of bonuses and build time for each unit. You can "rush" a build job of a building or unit, but I still found the number of turns it would take to build a unit unpredictable and its relationship to the cities resources undefined. If you order your city to build a unit, it will cancel whatever unit was already building--something that is not obvious from the interface. A cue to indicate what it is on tap would greatly improve the interface.

gets a lot right with this latest installment of the Civilization series. The controls are great, the soundtrack memorable, and the animated fight sequences when military units do battle are fun. The icons are kid-friendly, colorful, and provide an approachable façade that hide the complex numbers game beneath the surface. The animated fight sequences, for example, are reflective of an algorithm that takes into account the unit's fighting ability, strength, location, defensive positioning, size, and so forth. Don't be fooled by how intuitive this game is to pick up--Civilization Revolution is as tactically complex and deep as they come.

While the replay value of the game is high (there are about a dozen special scenarios in addition to the regular randomly generated map), there is no multiplayer component. Here's hoping 2K Games adds this ability at a later date, because with the iPhone's 3G technology and Civilization's history of epic, hours-long, multiplayer battles, tethering the game to a single player seems short-sighted.

Many gaming companies have sought to bring watered-down, portable versions of their franchises to the iPhone. But Sid Meier and his team have taken the iPhone platform seriously, creating a memorable title that is still complex and deep while still being approachable and intuitive for new players. I've yet to find a better designed strategy game on the iPhone.

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution is available for $5 for the first 48 hours of its release; after that it will revert to its standard price of $10. The lite version provides a nice free demo, but in addition to limiting you to three civilization, it also offers only two difficulty levels and removes the modern era of development. This cuts out one of the best moments in the game--pitting your advanced tanks and battleships against primitive archers and galleons in hilariously mismatched battles. In short, you'll want to pay for the full version of Civilization Revolution.