This is my first game with 23 enemy civs, and it rocks. I started (luckily) on a small secluded island by myself. The bad thing was that it was half desert, half plains.

Well, I don't do the save-restart thing. So I mustered a bunch of Hoplites and one by one shipped them to the only thing that was next to me, a small continent with two realitively large civs.

50 turns later I've dominated that small continent by smashing the Japanese and Malaysians into ancient history. I surveyed my new realm and realized that, it too was mostly plains and desert.

This was no way to found a mighty empire.

I looked hither and yander to find a small lush continent to my north, inhabited by the testy Greeks. Well, my veteran Hoplites, now augmented by Samurai shock troops, headed plodded on.

The Battle of Athens ended with a stinging defeat. But I wasn't about to give up my civs ancestrial claim to greener pastures. The Battle of Athens II insued, and my army was crushed again.

Luckily, the Malaysian cities produced soldiers of solid stock, and the Third Battle of Athens saw my way to victory.

And here I stand. A weeping Alexander with no more worlds to conq ... huh?

"Sir, our Coracle captains report that there are seven full continents with multiple civilizations around the world. The Russians mock you. The Irish laugh at your tiny cities. The Mexicans snicker at your lack of wonders. The Incans desire nice beach front property ..."