Civilisation was a really epoch making game (no pun intended). It was the first boardgame I can remember that required no dice, trading and interaction without diplomacy-type yawns, plus race improvements and victory points. A large proportion of todays games owe more than a passing nod to this game.
It was Civ and Talisman that got me back into gaming at the beginning of the eighties.
BTW, if i put my old Talisman game in a new box and attached a ridiculously high price to it, do you think they would buy it BACK from me? Seems only fair.

Phil.