I actually prefered Civilization III because it is most suitable for multiplayer games. Civ IV and V are too slow-paced for that. But yes, the pacing in general in V is not good. There are always good ideas in every game, but part III has the best combination of them. The maps in IV and V are so small. I like huge empires. The purists would prefer Civilization II because of that. But this game is clumsy in other regards, and looks ancient.