2K Games announces that Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is now available in stores, expanding Sid Meier's turn-based strategy game with a variety of new content. Additionally a second playable demo for the add-on is now available, offering the chance to play the first 100 turns of the Charlemagne campaign. The new demo debuts on GameSpot and mirrors can be found on ComputerGames.ro and Gamer's Hell, and here's the release announcement:

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO - News), announced today that Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword(TM), the latest expansion pack for the critically acclaimed Civilization IV(TM) series, is now available. Developed for the PC by the Company's world-renowned development studio Firaxis Games(TM), Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword sets a series milestone by showcasing the largest amount of expansion content in the history of the Civilization® franchise.

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is the second expansion pack for Sid Meier's Civilization IV - the 2005 PC Game of the Year and a major commercial success, selling over 1.5 million units worldwide since its October 2005 release. This expansion focuses on the late-game time periods after the invention of gunpowder and delivers eleven challenging and decidedly different scenarios created by the development team at Firaxis Games, as well as members of the Civilization Fan Community. Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword also includes ten new civilizations, 16 new leaders, five new wonders, and a variety of new units that will offer even more fun and exciting ways for players to expand their civilization's power as they strive for world domination.

"Given the overwhelming critical and commercial success of Sid Meier's Civilization IV, we were inspired to provide these loyal fans with the series' most robust expansion pack ever," said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. "By featuring more content than any other Civilization expansion pack, Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is a must-have for all Civilization fans and will set a new industry-wide bar for expansions."

Key features include:

    • Expanded Epic Game: Firaxis Games delivers a massive increase in new units, buildings, and technologies to the epic game with additional focus on the late-game time periods.
    • New Game Scenarios: The expansion will deliver 11 new scenarios, many containing themes never before included in the Civilization series, custom designed by the team at Firaxis and select members of the Civ Fan Community. Stand-alone downloadable demos available for the space-themed Final Frontier scenario and the historical Charlemagne scenario are available at http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/beyondthesword/.
    • New Civilizations: The expansion pack includes ten new civilizations, such as Portugal, Babylon and Netherlands and their associated unique units and buildings.
    • More Civilization Leaders: Sixteen new leaders including leaders for the ten new civilizations, as well as additional leaders for existing civilizations. Abraham Lincoln, Boudica, Hammurabi and Sitting Bull are just a few of the new leaders.
    • Corporations: A new gameplay feature allows players to create corporations and spread them throughout the world. Each corporation provides benefits in exchange for certain resources.
    • Espionage: Now available much earlier in the game, this expanded feature offers players many new ways to spy on opponents, stir citizen unrest and defend their government's secrets.
    • Events: New random events such as natural disasters, pleas for help, or demands from their citizens will challenge players to overcome obstacles in order for their civilizations to prosper.
    • New Wonders: Five new wonders await discovery including the Statue of Zeus, Cristo Redentor, Shwedagon Paya, the Mausoleum of Maussollos, and the Moai Statues.
    • Expanded Space Victory: Winning the race to Alpha Centauri will now require more strategic planning and tactical decision making.
    • Apostolic Palace: An ancient version of The United Nations, the Apostolic Palace will become available earlier in the game, providing a way for players to win a diplomatic victory more quickly. New resolutions will also be added which will expand the available diplomatic options.
    • Advanced Starts: A major fan request; this new feature will enable players to "buy" components of a custom-tailored empire and begin play in the later part of the game, allowing them to experience many of the new features of the expansion pack in a shorter amount of time.
    • Enhanced AI: The AI has received many enhancements, making it tougher to beat on the higher difficulty levels. The ways in which the AI will attempt to achieve victory have also been expanded.

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword requires the full version of Sid Meier's Civilization IV and is now available for PC for $29.99. The title is rated "E10+" for Everyone 10 and older. For more information please visit http://www.civilization.com/.