Civ II was the best of civ's for me just cause you couldn't start in fixed positions in the 3rd. Diplomacy and pretty much everything else was developed in the 3rd, but the fact I could start americans in australia or india, and the poor graphics of units in the 3rd (they all looked alike) make me play civ II whenever I feel like playing one of them.
And gotta love the little extras like the high council and the palace room.
k: