Even after the 1.52 patch, the game is still having problems. I'll give the Civ 4 developing team a pat on the back for effort since the update went up from 1.09 to 1.52. However, you guys still have a long way to go.
I was really considering to buy after the second patch and I probably will but I'd be very dissappointed if I cannot play the game after two OFFICIAL patch releases.