a very strict limit to what you need is required to get to win this game and there is a strict level to the requirements of food and buildings as well. the faster you can gain religion the better as this helps rise the tech amounts and thus eases the rush to get more things done. some of the buildings are not needed but try to make sure you get the tech for building or you will be sat for the whole game with nothing happening.

3/5

Somewhat disappointing. The game is a decent resource management style game, but it runs into a few problems:
1. It feels like you are too limited. This is true across all difficulties. You just never have enough resources to get everything done, and easy should allow that!
2. Several of the tech trees are completely pointless if you want to actually win the game. Notable fishing and clothing, which are wasted points here.
3. Barbarians do not scale based on time so much as your own population. It feels very weird if you sit at the cap and watch the strength not grow, but have more people coming and the strength does grow. Some adjustments to modify the strength of the barbarian hordes based partly on your settlement size (more people attract more attention) and some strength growth per turn would make for a more compelling feeling.

Outside of those problems, it is a decent game. 3/5.