Age Of Empires 2

Released in 1999, Age of Empires II argueably the best RTS of all time. This game is still enjoyed today with an active fan base and multiplayer participants. It has stood the test of time and is still thoroughly enjoyable and highly addictive. Age of Empires II also has an expansion pack, Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, released in 2000

Age of Empires II may not have the next gen and 3D graphics of the newer RTS' out today, but it has that extra something. The 2D gameplay still look awesome as the battlefield fills with rotting corpses. The simplistic interface makes playing a joy, while still giving you the control to lead your forces to victory.

The game puts you in charge of 13 different nations from the Dark Ages through to the early Renaissance. Each civilization feels unique with its own interface style and your units speak their native language - and they each come with a powerful unique unit that can crash through the opposition with ease. The buildings in Age of Empires have four distinct architectural styles: Western European, North/Eastern European, Asian and Middle Eastern. Each civilization has a unique technology tree which give them a historical advantage other their opponents. The British have archery bonuses, while the Byzantines strong walls and heavy cavalry. Some technology is shared by almost all the civilizations like basic farming upgrades and wooden walls.

You can choose to play one of the many campaigns included, for example forge the Holy Roman Empire as Frederic Barbarossa or free France from the British as Joan of Arc. You can create random maps with a myriad of options: which will never play the same! The maps are full of different objects, elevation and vegetation - also dependant on the region in which the map is set (from arid deserts to the steppes of Mongolia). The maps contain animals which can either bring you benefits, like food from game, or can cause you some problems when wolves attack you.

The actual gameplay is refreshingly quick - even at the early stages of gameplay when you have limited units and technology. Themost important unit is the villager - who gathers, builds, repairs, and when needs be - fights. You gather resources: food, wood, stone and gold to build your Empire and field your army. There are many ways of accumulating these, for example you can trade all the resources for gold at your market and you can also gain gold from capturing and storing relics in your monastry. If there is a large body of water, chances are there fish at the shore for you villagers to catch or you can even build a dock to send out fishing boats. All the while the micromanagement is generally kept to a minimum. The multitude of shortcuts allow you quickly go through any idle soldiers or villagers and the minimap has different modes to allow you filter through economic, military and all unit views. The unit commands are extensive with advanced formations, stances and other commands like patroling between two, or more, set points. You can also give your units waypoints to flank your opponent or to aviod trouble spots.

The AI is generally very good and the difficulty can be easily adjusted to suit your ability. Your allies will work with you and help you defeat your adversaries; while they will throw everything they have at you to finish you off. The campaigns and sceneario's include good scripting and sound which really immerse you in the historical storylines.

This game is a classic and will always have fans and people discovering its great value and gameplay potential! So go rally the horde, lock the gates and man the battlements - Age of Empires 2 is here.