What: This total conversion of Civilization IV (a "total conversion" is a mod that requires an extra lot of work) is a remake of the cult-hit strategy game (a "cult-hit" is something not many people played, but they each loved it enough to make up for the people who didn't play it) created by Brian Reynolds ("Brian Reynolds" was the guy who did some of Sid Meier's best work, no disrespect to Mr. Meier intended). It's all about arriving in the New World, colonizing it, and then declaring Independence. In other words, the most American thing ever.

Who: Sid Meier and Firaxis, the nonpareils of strategy gaming

Where: PC

When: September, also known as "not soon enough"

Why: I checked my notes and there's just a bunch of heart doodles. I spent the entire demo staring adoringly at the screen, imagining the lost hours I will spend playing this. If there's one thing the guys at Firaxis know, it's how to get strategy game geeks to sit in front of a computer for days on end.