I'll put my mark down for recommending MTW2. The totalwar games stole my love for Civilization long ago, although I'm still a fan of Civ, it's just that TW has so much more to it. I've definately got my moneys worth out of all the TW games i've purchased. It's one that you can always go back to after a few weeks and enjoy playing it.
Empire Totalwar, this game is going to be awesome with extra awe!
