Editing Caesar (video game)

{{more footnotes|date=July 2009}}
{{short description|1992 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Caesar
|image = Caesar Coverart.png
|caption = North American cover art
|developer = [[Impressions Games]]
|publisher = [[Sierra On-Line]]
|designer = David Lester
|programmer = Simon Bradbury
|artist = Jon Baker<br>Erik Casey
|composer = Christopher J. Denman
|engine = 
|series = ''[[City Building (series)|City Building]]''
|released = October 12, 1992
|genre = [[City-building game|City-building]]
|modes = [[Single-player]]
|platforms = [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], [[MS-DOS]]
}}

'''''Caesar''''' is a 1992 [[city-building game|city-building]] [[video game]] published by [[Sierra On-Line]] in which the player undertakes the role of a [[Roman governor]], building ancient Roman cities.

Released in 1992 on the [[Amiga]] and [[porting|ported]] the following year to [[Atari ST]], [[personal computer|PC]] and [[Macintosh]], the game is similar to ''[[SimCity (1989 video game)|SimCity]]''. In addition to similar graphics and user interfaces, it also came with issues of [[micromanagement (computer gaming)|micromanagement]], including complicated city-planning requirements such as building the right number of schools, theaters, libraries, bathhouses, and other amenities within suitable distances of residential areas.

An updated version, ''Caesar Deluxe'', was released in 1993 for the Amiga. ''Caesar'' spawned three direct sequels and several spin-offs set in other ancient civilizations, which are together known as the ''[[City Building (series)|City Building]]'' series.

==Reception==
According to Sierra On-Line, combined sales of ''Caesar'' and ''Caesar II'' surpassed 400,000 units by the end of March 1996.<ref name=sierrasales>{{cite report | date = March 31, 1996 | title = Sierra On-Line Form 10-K |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416004925/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/724991/0000891020-96-000721.txt | url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/724991/0000891020-96-000721.txt | archivedate=April 16, 2018 | location=[[Bellevue, Washington]] | pages=7–9 }}</ref>

In June 1993, ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' recommended ''Caesar'' to ''SimCity'' fans who "wished for more buttons to push, knobs to adjust and wires to reroute". The magazine concluded that "''Caesar'' provides that rare quality in strategy gaming — an experience whose rewards prove equal to its challenges ... [it] provides the serious player with a real lion's feast".<ref name="greenberg199306">{{Cite magazine |last=L. Greenburg |first=Allen |date=June 1993 |title=All Code Leads to Rome {{!}} Impressions' Caesar |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=107 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=126 |issue=107}}</ref> A survey of pre-20th-century strategy games in the issue gave the game three-plus stars out of five, calling it "More of a game than a simulation, but it can be fun".<ref name="brooks199306">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=107 | title=An Annotated Listing of Pre-20th Century Wargames | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=June 1993 | accessdate=7 July 2014 | author=Brooks, M. Evan | pages=136}}</ref>

''Caesar'' and its [[Caesar II|sequel]] were named, collectively, the 96th best computer game ever by ''PC Gamer UK'' in 1997. The editors wrote, "Impressions keep on keeping on with the likes of ''Lords of the Realm'' [...] but have never managed to regain the dizzy peak they climbed with their handsome brace of think-'em-ups."<ref name=pcgameruktop100>{{cite magazine |author1=Flynn, James |author2=Owen, Steve |author3=Pierce, Matthew |author4=Davis, Jonathan |author5=Longhurst, Richard  | magazine=[[PC Gamer UK]] | title=The ''PC Gamer'' Top 100 |date=July 1997 | issue=45 | pages=51–83 }}</ref>

== Sequels ==
''Caesar'' was developed and designed by [[Impressions Games]] and distributed by [[Sierra On-Line]]. Impressions also developed another Roman-themed game, ''[[Cohort 2]]'', at the same time, which allowed players to direct ancient Roman battles in a style akin to a crude precursor of the ''[[Command & Conquer]]'' series. Impressions included a feature in ''Cohort 2'' which allowed players of ''Caesar'' to load their saved files and play out the battles from ''Caesar'' in ''Cohort 2''. Later, Impressions released an updated version of ''Caesar'' which automatically launched a version of ''Cohort 2'' whenever the player engaged in battle. This version was released under the title ''Caesar Deluxe'' in 1994.

Impressions released the sequels ''[[Caesar II]]'' in 1995 and ''[[Caesar III]]'' in 1998. A third sequel, ''[[Caesar IV]]'', was announced in August 2005 by [[Tilted Mill Entertainment]] and was subsequently released on September 26, 2006.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal bar|1990s|Ancient Rome|Video games}}
*[https://www.mobygames.com/game/caesar ''Caesar''] at [[MobyGames]]
*[http://hol.abime.net/2910 ''Caesar''] at the Hall of Light
*[http://hol.abime.net/2911 ''Caesar Deluxe''] at the Hall of Light
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061102000954/http://www.caesariv.com/us/game_caesar_chronicles.html Discussion of evolution of ''Caesar'' games by lead designer Chris Beatrice] (on Internet Archive)

{{City building series}}
{{Impressions Games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caesar (Video Game)}}
[[Category:1992 video games]]
[[Category:Activision Blizzard franchises]]
[[Category:Amiga games]]
[[Category:Atari ST games]]
[[Category:Business simulation games]]
[[Category:City-building games]]
[[Category:DOS games]]
[[Category:Classic Mac OS games]]
[[Category:Sierra Entertainment games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Video games set in antiquity]]
[[Category:Video games set in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Impressions Games games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]