So I finally got my copy in the mail after what seemed like fifty turns, and I've played a game and decided that this is the best civ. It probably won't go as deep as Beyond the Sword did, but to criticise it as not having as much content as a game that has had two expansions is silly. But everything just seems to work better than vanilla civ IV.
Now, how to cheat the deluxe/pre-order civs and that into my regular edition.