Sacred Haven of Debauchery

each country has its own unique features.

I didn't notice anything like that after spending so many hours playing Civilization (III).
P.S. I mostly played as Rome and Russia.
I'll finish Mass Effect, then I'll install Civilization IV :)

Added 7 minutes later
By the way, regarding Medieval II. What did the developers do with the cavalry? It's just a useless herd of horses. They have no effectiveness. (Compared to Rome: Total War).