Vanilla to Test of Time...what's different?

I'm a long-time vanilla player, and just decided to get back into Civ 2. I found a brand-new (still sealed!) copy of ToT on ebay, figuring I should dip into something beyond vanilla. While it's on its way, are there any differences I should be reading up on? What's changed? And does anyone have any good scenario suggestions?

Thanks

Test of Time is my favorite. Some people consider it "too dark"... but if you adjust the brightness on your computer, it's fine. I'm playing a Fantasy game right now (and am simultaneously at war with both the Goblins and Stygians, and the Elves just killed one of my Hawkman units for no reason at all).

The most immediate difference with Test of Time if you play either the Lalande, Midgard, or Fantasy games is that the map is on four levels. If you get specific units or techs, you can teleport from one level to another. I recommend becoming familiar with the Fantasy game before tackling Midgard, as it's godawful frustrating at times. At least I always found it much more difficult.

If you play the Original Extended, you have the option of starting on either Earth or Alpha Centauri. I prefer the latter, as I've basically got the whole planet to myself. But building the correct Wonders will still allow you to get tech from the other factions even though you won't be able to actually communicate with them until the late game.

Oh, and look up the big huge thread on the Test of Time Patch Project (thread starter is The Nameless One) on this subforum. I highly recommend it...

Thanks for the advice Valka! I think I'll definitely give the original extended a go first and then tackle fantasy. Sounds like I should save Midgard for last.

Don't forget to try Lalande. It uses a 4-level science fiction map where everyone starts on Funestis and tries to gain the tech to make it into the other levels: Orbit, Naumachia, and Nona. In this game you can play either as one of the human factions or as one of the alien factions. But depending on which you choose (human or alien), you can't kill all the opposing factions until you have certain technologies... or you'll never get to Nona.