Yes, there is combat between armies, but it is of a very tame variety and can be mostly bypassed by choosing the peaceful areas. The gameplay is simply breathtaking, I was entranced with the people walking around and the life busily going on as you frantically built things. The people look real, and the colors are bright and vivid, very pleasing to the eye. After the first 2 levels, there begins to be a frantic quality to your city planning, as you try to keep up with all the demands, and prevent the people from leaving your metropolis in droves because their houses got demoted due to lack of pottery. Stability is the key here, as extreme fluctuations in items can cause a downward spiral from which it is hard to recover.
Installation is simple, but takes a huge amount of hd space.
The interface is handy, and lets you know the real deal behind many aspects of your city, such as risks from natives and possible fire hazards, plus lets you move with ease from one area to another. However, it takes some time getting used to. The manual at first glance looks big, but on further inspection is a little lacking in details such as how far your market ladies can travel, and how far apart you need to build your entertainment facilities from each other to ensure city-wide coverage. The minimum requirements are right on the money, as I played it on a P100 with ease. Purists may prefer more wars or micro management details, but for the rest of us, I find this fits the bill supremely well.