Number 1 game for teens

Fans of the Civilization series probably already own this game, but if you don’t then perhaps it’s time to hit up the folks for some extra allowance. This turn-based strategy game allows you to step into the shoes of famous leaders, such as Genghis Khan or Julius Caesar, and run your civilization. Once you start going, you’ll find it hard to stop to the point where sleep becomes a distant memory.

You start off with a motley crew of hunters and gatherers sometime in the Stone Age. From there, you build a city and search for resources you can use for various improvements, such as roads and irrigation. As you expand your empire, building more cities, discovering knowledge, inventing new technologies, and advancing through the ages, you’ll come across other civilizations. You can either befriend them and enter into mutually beneficial trade relations or throw down your axe and cry bloody murder.

There are several ways to win the game, including wiping out all other civilizations, or being the first to launch a spaceship to another planet, or even being the most cultured civilization on the planet.

Be warned though—Civilization IV is highly addictive and will keep you glued to the screen into the wee hours of the morning. So, what are you waiting for?