Aspyr Media on Tuesday announced that Civilization IV: Colonization for Mac OS X is now available at retail stores and can be pre-ordered at GameAgent, the publisher’s digital distribution web site. Rather than an expansion pack to the popular strategy game created by Sid Meier, Colonization is a standalone remake of the game he released in 1994.

Players assume control of one of four European nations -- Spain, England, France, or the Netherlands -- as they explore and colonize the New World between the years 1492 and 1792. Players negotiate, trade, and fight with other nations, ultimately striving to win independence from their mother land -- success in becoming a free nation is the sole victory condition.

Developer Firaxis created a new interface for the game and built in multiplayer capabilities via the Internet and a LAN. An enhanced tutorial was designed to help both long-time and new Civilization players learn the gameplay basics.

Colonization sells for US$39.99, with a $5 discount available to those who pre-order it at GameAgent, and requires Mac OS X version 10.5.8 or 10.6.1, a 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (2.4GHz recommended), 1GB RAM (2GB recommended), 128MB video RAM (512MB recommended), and 1GB of free hard drive space.