Caesar 2

Caesar 2 — When the game begins, the Roman Empire extends no further than Italy. Players have the opportunity to civilize neighboring barbarian provinces, eventually reaching the entire Roman Empire at its height. When a province is civilized, it unlocks neighboring provinces. The computerized opponent also completes missions, preventing the player from civilizing that province and allowing him to civilize provinces adjacent to it (the computer has been known to civilize a province it couldn't choose when it successfully civilized the last one, meaning this is a randomized event, and not AI). Unlike Caesar 3 or Pharaoh, the province and city are separate spheres, as is the army.