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The following is a list of wonders in Civilization II and its expansions.

Wonders in Civilization II are divided into groups according to epoch, each of which have seven to build.

Wonders of the Ancient World[]

Wonder Prereq Effects Obsolete Notes
Pyramids (Civ2)
Pyramids
Masonry Counts as a granary in all owner's cities
Hanging Gardens (Civ2)
Hanging Gardens
Pottery Makes the people in owner cities happier Railroad
Colossus (Civ2)
Colossus
Bronze Working Gives extra trade Trade (Civ2) in trade producing tiles in that city. Flight
Lighthouse (Civ2)
Lighthouse
Map Making Prevents owner's Triremes from being lost at sea. Adds one movement to all sea units. Magnetism Only triremes get lost, and this is only for human players
Great Library (Civ2)
Great Library
Literacy Gives the owner scientific advances that two other kingdoms have Electricity The player who discovers philosophy also gets a free advance
Oracle (Civ2)
Oracle
Mysticism Double the effect of temples. Theology
Great Wall (Civ2)
Great Wall
Masonry Acts as free City Walls in all owner's cities. Doubles owner defense from Barbarians and forces other kingdoms to offer peace, within reason Metallurgy

Wonders of the Renaissance[]

Wonder Prereq Effects Obsolete Notes
Sun Tzu's War Academy (Civ2)
Sun Tzu's War Academy
Feudalism All ground units start as veterans, which can withstand battles longer Existing units become veterans upon their first fight Mobile Warfare
King Richard's Crusade (Civ2)
King Richard's Crusade
Engineering Give an extra resource Shield (Civ2)shield on every exploited tile in that city Industrialization
Marco Polo's Embassy (Civ2)
Marco Polo's Embassy
Trade Gives owner an embassy with every nation Communism If owner used Diplomats to establish embassies before controlling this wonder, they will be retained after obsoletion.
Michelangelo's Chapel (Civ2)
Michelangelo's Chapel
Monotheism Counts as a cathedral in all cites You should sell your existing cathedrals unless you fear you might lose the wonder
Copernicus' Observatory (Civ2)
Copernicus' Observatory
Astronomy Increases that city's Beaker (Civ2)science output by 50%
Magellan's Expedition (Civ2)
Magellan's Expedition
Navigation Gives owner ships 2 extra movement points, and all owner ships are built as veteran.
Shakespeare's Theatre (Civ2)
Shakespeare's Theatre
Medicine Eliminates unhappiness in the City this wonder is built in.

Wonders of the Industrial World[]

Wonder Prereq Effects Obsolete Notes
Leonardo's Workshop (Civ2)
Leonardo's Workshop
Invention Automatically upgrades obsolete units; takes effect when constructed, captured, and when owner achieves a technological advance. Automobile
J.S. Bach's Cathedral (Civ2)
J.S. Bach's Cathedral
Theology Decreases unhappy citizens (up to 2 per city) on the same continent
Isaac Newton's College (Civ2)
Isaac Newton's College
Theory of Gravity Doubles that city's Beaker (Civ2)science output If you already have Copernicus' Observatory in that city, you are already up 50%, but add this to the city and you are at 150% capacity for scientific research.
Adam Smith's Trading Co. (Civ2)
Adam Smith's Trading Co.
Economics Pays maintenance for all buildings with upkeep of 1. Pays the maintenance costs of buildings that cost 1 Gold (currency) (Civ2)gold: Temples, libraries, harbors, granaries, marketplaces, barracks, coastal fortress, courthouse
Darwin's Voyage (Civ2)
Darwin's Voyage
Railroad Gives owner 2 free advances
Statue of Liberty (Civ2)
Statue of Liberty
Democracy Eliminates periods of unrest between government change and allows owner to choose any government even if owner hasn't discovered it yet
Eiffel Tower (Civ2)
Eiffel Tower
Steam Engine Creates a favorable image with other kingdoms and they will forget past mistakes. This is your only chance to have a spotless reputation if you have had a less than perfect one in the past.

Wonders of the Modern World[]

Wonder Prereq Effects Obsolete Notes
Women's Suffrage (Civ2)
Women's Suffrage
Industrialization Counts as a police station in all cities thus decreasing unhappiness in cities by 1 when troops are away
Hoover Dam (Civ2)
Hoover Dam
Electronics Counts as a hydro plant in all friendly cities.
Manhattan Project (Civ2)
Manhattan Project
Nuclear Fission Allows any civilization with the technology to start building nuclear weapons
United Nations (Civ2)
United Nations
Communism Gives owner an embassy in all nations and will force enemies to offer peace treaties with owner, within reason
Apollo Program (Civ2)
Apollo Program
Space Flight Allows all nations with the technology to build spaceships, and reveals entire map to all players
SETI Program (Civ2)
SETI Program
Computers Counts as a research lab in every city
Cure for Cancer (Civ2)
Cure for Cancer
Genetic Engineering Creates one happy citizen in all cities. In demographics it will boost owner lifespan to number one.

Wonders of the World and gameplay[]

All Wonders of the World have their own prerequisite technology in order to be able to construct them (e.g. Map Making for the Lighthouse, Bronze Working for the Colossus, and Pottery for the Hanging Gardens). Certain technologies cause the expiration of a particular Wonder's benefits (e.g. Magnetism, Flight and Railroad for the three Wonders mentioned above, respectively). Ten Wonders have technologies that make them expire, but eighteen do not.

Wonders of the World can be categorized into those that affect happiness, cities and buildings, units and movement, technology, diplomacy and finally economics. Wonders can be city-specific, continent-specific, civilization-specific, while three effect all players. City-specific Wonders affect only the city in which it was built (such as the Colossus, which grants an extra Trade (Civ2)trade arrow in utilized squares of that city's radius). Continent-specific wonders only affect cities on the same continent in which it was built (such as J. S. Bach's Cathedral and Hoover Dam). Civilization-specific Wonders affect the entire empire that controls it (such as the Hanging Gardens, which grants +1 happiness in all cities of the same civilization). International wonders are the United Nations (brings all civs into contact), the Manhattan Project (allows all civs to build nuclear bombs, provided they have the required technology), and the Apollo Program (reveals the entire map to all players).

When a civilization-specific Wonder does not expire, its effects can dramatically affect gameplay. For example, building (or capturing) Michelangelo's Chapel immediately puts a Cathedral in every city of the controlling civilization, greatly promoting happiness. Of course, this makes the cities that contain those Wonders all the more crucial to defend, since losing the city to conquest causes the benefits of that Wonder to be lost (and switch over to the capturing player if the city survives). Accordingly, certain Wonders have a 'must' status in certain types of games or for certain types of players. For example, the Pyramids (+50% retention of Food (Civ2)food surplus after city growth), Michelangelo's Chapel (Cathedral in every city), J.S. Bach's Cathedral (free additional temple) and Leonardo's Workshop (automatic unit upgrades - until the development of the Automobile) are valuable for expanding empires and/or gameplay at the more difficult levels. Additionally, warmongering empires will seek to build the Great Wall and Sun Tzu's War Academy.

Alternatively, one can temporarily cripple a rival civilization by causing their Wonder of the World to expire, such as when any player learns Metallurgy causing the Great Wall to expire (and the free city-walls in each of the controlling player's cities suddenly disappear).

Civilization II Wonders [edit]
Wonders of the Ancient World
Wonders of the Renaissance
Wonders of the Industrial Age
Wonders of the Modern World
Civilization II [edit]
Conflicts in CivilizationFantastic WorldsTest of Time
Concepts
Standalone remake with different graphics, units, etc.
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