I never liked the Civilization series, but I still play Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire (its predecessor). I read that Civilization V received an overhaul, switching to hexagon-based, which will make me take another look once I get to my nephew’s house.
Civ V is as addictive as any of the prior renditions in the series. I’ve been playing Civ V for several months now, and it’s beautiful and fun to play. I do wish that Ramkhamhaeng (Siam ruler) wasn’t always one of the computer players though. He’s worse than Norabunaga with the saber rattling!