Like many armchair Egyptologists who grew up in the 1970s, my fascination with the land of the pyramids began with Steve Martin's "King Tut" novelty song. I can still remember watching him perform that number on Saturday Night Live. I laughed. I cried. I wondered what the real deal was behind the mystical symbolism inherent in the Pyramid Texts found at the step pyramid of Djoser. Well, not really. I was only six, so it was more of a mummies and "Disco Tut!" thing for me back then.

Times have changed, and I can now express my fascination with ancient Egypt by reading books, watching bad IMAX documentaries featuring Omar Sharif, and playing computer games like Impressions' Pharaoh. The sequel to city building classics like the Caesar and Lords of the Realm series occupied a fair bit of my time when it was released last fall. Moving 100-ton blocks and fighting off brutal invaders never felt so good. Apparently I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the experience, because popular demand caused the company to issue an official expansion pack. Cleopatra continues the story right up to said monarch's infamous reign, stopping off along the way for missions set amidst such colorful events as the interment of Thutmose I in the legendary Valley of the Kings, the lengthy reign of Ramses II, and even the climactic battle of Actium.

On the surface, then, there would seem to be a lot here. And there is, though unfortunately the developers never pull it all together into a unified whole. While the game is packed with new missions, items, and handy game engine tweaks, sloppy execution and poor level design ruins everything. The end result is a lot closer to working on Pharaoh's work gangs in the boiling desert sun than I ever wanted to come.