Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Released in 2005, Sid Meier's Civilization IV is the fourth game in the Civilization series. Two expansions were released: "Warlords" in 2006 and "Beyond the Sword" in 2007.
There is no official support for the game, with some users having issues making the game run properly on Windows 7, especially the 64-bit edition.
DirectX Issue
To get the game to run properly, DirectX 9 is required, even if you have already installed a newer version (eg. DirectX 10). DirectX 9 can be downloaded here. The original release of Civilization IV partially installs DirectX 9, however later patches and the expansion packs require additional DirectX components that are not installed with the original game, causing the game to crash. Installing a full version of DirectX 9 will fix this (see previous link). This is not a problem with Civilization IV Complete Edition, which installs the correct DirectX version automatically.
Compatibility Settings
On Windows Vista/Windows 7 it is recommended to turn on the Windows XP option under compatibility settings.
System Requirements
Civilization IV
Warlords Expansion
Beyond the Sword Expansion
Useful Links
Official Downloads (Patch, SDK, etc.