At the moment, I'm feeling very pleased with myself. I've just won at
Civilization II - in my opinion the best game out for Mac or PC - at the
hardest level, Deity. Now, a lot of people can beat a lot of games at the
hardest difficulty level, but Deity is very hard, as anyone who has played
Civilization II will tell you. Even the makers of the game, who know every
in and out of it, can't win all the time. So, with this in mind I've put
together some tips. These tips really apply only to Deity and the level one
Emperor. Below that you can afford to be much more aggressive
and much less careful.
Know your map
Play on a map you know - it'll help a lot. Maps with 2 or 3 continents separated by sea are good. Don't play on a random map. Play with six opponents. As well as being the most fun, this will prevent any one civilization from becoming too powerful to beat - the others will keep it in check.
Early research
First get Warrior Code, for archers, then Horseback Riding, then Ceremonial Burial for temples - you're sure to need them, then Polytheism for elephants and then Mysticism for the Oracle. Masonry and its refinement Construction both let you do a lot, while Alphabet opens up a lot of new options. You needn't rush to get Map Making if you have a big continent to explore - get Mathematics instead, and build catapults. Beyond that, take whichever route suits your immediate and long term needs - you should know which advances are useful and which are not. Playing on Deity, you will inevitably start to slip behind. If you have embassies then find out what technologies your allies don't have, and obtain them and swap. With respect to military power, push towards Gunpowder and then towards Armor.
Start your city in a good place
Try and start off near fertile ground, and if possible with two settlers. You'll suffer if you have to take time moving to an attractive location. Build the best unit you have your first city, and go exploring with it...
Abandoned villages can be a real boon
You can get all sorts of great stuff from abandoned villages. Unless you really need a unit or some money, new settlers and new cities are the best. So save before you enter an abandoned village and restore until you get what you want. If you never seem to get it, wait a turn. If it takes more than two turns to get, settle for second best. This restoring of saved games should also be used when you're about to enter vital combat or make important strategic decisions. Remember to use the auto-save files. These are called "Your name Auto" or "Your name Auto2."
Early contact 
Know where your neighbours are, and if you think you have a chance of winning,
attack one of them. This will increase the number of cities you own quickly.
If you're not going to take any more of your opponent's cities, make peace.
Beyond that be nice to people and make allies with one or two people who you
think have the potential to grow rich, powerful, or technologically advanced.
That way you can get money, military aid, or technology off them later in the
game. Be careful not to ask for these things too often, or they'll grow tired of you.
Don't make too many allies, or the next trick won't work...
Expand and encircle
Build new cities fast, and grab a big share of the map. When you have boats, seek out remote, unsettled places and build there. Even thick forest can be made valuable my clearing it. Even if you're backwards, weak and poor, if you have significantly more cities than anybody else, you'll win the game. It's that simple. To make sure you have lots of cities compared to your rivals, don't just take into account how rich the surrounding 20 squares are when you choose city locations. Encircle your opponents so their settlers are trapped in a small space. This is a *very* useful trick. Building new cities takes priority, but don't forget to improve the land around your existing ones. If your cities are poor, backwards or unhappy, build roads. If they are unproductive, build mines and railways. Food and irrigation are always useful. Remember, there's no point in improving land you're never going to use.
 
Come up with a strategy
Attack the civilization two rankings (on the PowerGraph when you retire) behind you. Or, better still, get your allie to attack it while you hover round its cities. Then, when they are weak, you can attack and seize them. Your power ranking should have increased by now, so repeat the same step again. Once you're number two or three finish off the weakest civilizations and then go for the big ones. Always exploit the military power of your allies. You'll find it tough winning through the space race on Deity. 
If at first you don't succeed...
...give up. Quit the game and start again, learning from your mistakes. There's no point in playing out a losing struggle in a computer game.
Next month I'll bring you tips on overall management strategy.
