Sid Meier's Civilization III

The Good
I'm not sure that there is any gamer in the world who hasn't played Sid Meier's famous Civilization series at least once before, so it's plus sides are very well known. Civilization was the most in-depth, detailed, highly realistic strategy game of its time, Civilization II was better still, and Civilization III truly dominates, unlike many game sequels of its time. Rich with detailed and accurate information on every possible unit, technology, and building type from the hunter-gatherer dawn of civilization as we know it to modern day times in its Civilopedia, not only is it an endlessly playable game for entertainment purposes, but it would also make a very reliable history and science lesson for your children. If I had children that I wanted to ensure were learning as they were having fun, I'd sit them down in front of this game - you can learn more about the history of mankind just by playing this game that you can in any public school history class I've ever heard of!

The Bad
In my opinion, the best thing about Civilization III (and its predecessors also) is also the worst - its endless playability. This is a game you could sit down at after dinner and say "Oh, I'll just play for an hour or so!", and when it feels like that hour is up, you peer out the window and see the sun starting to rise. If it weren't for the educational aspects mentioned above, I'd probably never let my kids play this game. I couldn't count the number of business deadlines and social engagements I've had to reschedule or arrive late to after unwittingly spending 14 hours in front of this game without so much as a snack break. It's harder to quit than smoking. Even if you get so frustrated with it that you almost hurl your PC out the window, I guarantee you'll be giving it another shot within 24 hours. This game is without doubt the most addictive game ever created.

The Bottom Line
The bottom line? If you have a day job, don't play this game. If you have relationship or family commitments, don't play this game. If you have an addictive personality, don't play this game. If you're not willing or able to sit in front of your PC for 12 hour stints at a time due to health/medical, corporate, social, or any other responsibilities, then don't play this game. But if you're a dedicated gamer with a lot of free time on your hands or godlike willpower, then Civilization III and its predecessors are an absolute must-have for your game collection. You haven't played a strategy game until you've played Civilization.