The use of the word "Advanced" to describe this expansion followed existing Avalon Hill tradition. "Enhanced" is likely more appropriate. Playing with this expansion is no more difficult than playing the base Civilization game. This expansion reworks a few of the original rules, includes a reworked version of Civilization: Expansion Trade Cards Set and adds more civilization advancements to the technology tree.

Included are more civilization advancements (both quantity and type), which give the players new options for advancement, as well as a slightly restructured commodity trading round, which has new resources and disasters to be traded. The most significant aspect of the game is a restructuring of the advancement/victory conditions, which remove the limits on advancement cards. Some claim this makes the strategies more homogeneous while others claim the reverse is true.