This press release announces City Life 2008 Edition is shipping to stores in Europe, while a North American release is scheduled for May (story). A playable demo for the urban planning game was released late last year (story), and here's word:

City Life 2008 Edition, the latest version of the popular City Life series is released today by Ascaron. Design, build and maintain magnificent cities, importing real life satellite maps and famous landmarks to create an urban paradise.

The game features a variety of environments on which to base each city. Build residences, industries and businesses and watch the population grow. With total freedom of construction, there are limitless options for designing an entirely new civilisation and watching it thrive. Get it wrong and it could self-destruct.

A successful city is built on a balanced economy with happy citizens. To achieve this, all six sociocultural groups must be attracted to the city, from the wealthy ‘Elite’ to the impoverished ‘Have-Nots’. Make sure all six groups live in harmony to avoid violent clashes. Use the 360° camera rotation and zoom functions to dive into a city and walk its streets, observing the inhabitants and their daily dramas.

Ensure there are essential local services for the citizens by building industries for employment as well as ample recreational areas for leisure time. Environments also have to be safe and free from pollution so watch the location of industries and provide plenty of police stations. A clean and safe environment will make a city run smoothly. Unhappiness will only lead to violence and discord.