Great stuff, Civ II was my entry point but it seems like its all present and correct here. I'm a big supporter of playing at easier difficulties, the goal is to have fun (and now we're grown-ups we don't have the time!). Also, Egyptian Spaceship.
Great review thank you! I think my younger self would have loved this back in the day, until the point you mentioned it goes from strategy into puzzle. I always get disappointed when that happens, not that I don't love a puzzle game but it feels like a different itch to scratch.
I think the puzzle direction the game later goes into was somewhat inevitable due to it being the only way to really increase challenge with the static unevolving simple mechanics for 60 levels. I enjoy puzzley strategy games (Disgaea 1 springs to mind), but I also very much love more open ended strategy games like 4X and sim games, so I get the disappointment ahaha. Glad you enjoyed the review!
Thank you! Read your page on Shining in the Darkness. I definitely consider the dungeon itself the highlight of that game and also drew my own maps. I think enjoyment of that game is entirely up to how much mapping things out is fun to you vs it being a chore ahaha