What would have happened if the Mongols under Genghis Khan faced Alexander the Great, both at their peak strength? Or, what would have happened to the English if they invaded Turkey at the height of the Ottoman Empire? If you play this game, you will learn and learn and learn again. History isn't fixed. The same armies can win or loss, depending on their commander.

Age of Empire II is a real time game which continues and improves on the original. Thirteen societies with different strengths and weaknesses compete for dominance of the world. Victory can be achieved in three of the four ways found in the older version - genocide, construction and holding of a "wonder of the world" or capturing all the world's religious artifacts.

The key to any victory will be to exploit your enemies' weaknesses while capitalizing on your strengths. The English archers can fire further and faster, the Turks have gunpowder which is devastating at close range. The Vikings have stronger ships and the "Bezerkers" who heal on their own. This is one game where you really should read the instruction book.

The pluses to this game, and there are many, include, (1) new army formations (which I rarely use) (2) new buildings including the "castle" where you can make a special unit unique to your society (3) and an adjustment to the "hit points" of the earlier units. Gone are the days when you can send one calvary to a new society and wipe it out. Now they will flee to the town center and shoot you down from relative safety.

There are, of course, some negative things. My pet peeve is that as the game progresses you citizens seem to get dumber. They will stand next to your men who are being killed and do nothing, waiting for their turn to be slaughtered. A better program would allow them to fight or flee automatically at the sign of enemies. I also despise the diplomacy (read bribery) options. Pay or die is how this game works. You need to pay off your enemies, or they will destroy you. I think this could be better designed. As it is all the computer armies attack me right away without mercy. I kill them of course. But it would be nice if they didn't focus on me first, every game.

Still, all in all, this game is fun! I have played for many hours and, except for Civilization, this has been my most used computer program. Fun, fun to play and, right now, its price has been reduced, so there isn't much to pay. Enjoy it and have fun.

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This is one of those games that's so good, it's addictive. It'll probably ruin every other area of your life, because you'll be stuck playing it for hours on end. Enjoy!

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I first got age of empires 2 on the day it came out and i have not stopped playing it ever since. Some games i have forgotton about but this one has kept me busy. I was creamed on the second level and then i had to ajust my strategy and now i am on level 3. This game is the best game i have played YET! I really suggest buying it.

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THIS GAME IS GREAT GAME. IF YOU LIKE EMPIRE BUILDING AND ENEMY KILLING, THIS IS THE PERFECT GAME FOR YOU.

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This game is bears a tremendous amount of fun. It's complicated, but only for newbies. Experienced players know that this game is about 90% strategy. I got bored with some games, but as I was looking through the CD rack I thought I'd give AOK a try. I hadn't played with it in a long time. I had more fun than I ever did with it and possibly any other PC game. The price may be high, but it is a must buy. One of my top 5.

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This is an incredible game. The graphics are stunning. The game play is fast paced. The stories are sweet. The Multiplay is awesome. Graphically, as you roam the land, you see deer running around, birds flying in the sky, and other creatures roaming around in the stunning environment. During scenarios, you don't hve time to mess around on alot of these as the enemy seems to find you rather quickly. Some of the battles are very intense and killing your enemy is no easy task. The stories are wonderful as you have the opportunity to play some of the greatest leaders that ever existed. Ghenghis Khan and Joan of Arc are just 2 of the 4 stories you get to play. It's like a history lesson while your playing as you learn their story and then fight their battles for them. The multiplay is awesome as far as I have seen as I have not had much time doing this. If you like real time games, this is a keeper.

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I'm an avid Caesar III/Pharaoh player so when I picked this game up, that's what I thought I was getting myself into - city building in a variety of lands/cultures. Little did I know that I was purchasing a strategy game! I love it though, I just had to teach myself how to fight smart! In the other games, combat is kind of a side addition to building your city. In this game, it's an integral part if you want to succeed. I like the fact that you can start at different points in time and that you can choose from a variety of cultures. I like the fact that you can make your entire game random or you can choose every facet of the game environment. In addition to starting a city from the bottom up, you can be a part of 1 of 5 campaigns and you aren't just thrown into a campaign anywhere. The game developers give you lots of information and good starting points to help you get oriented in a specific campaign.

Overall, this game is awesome. Like I said, if you are Caesar or Pharaoh minded you will just have to reorient your thinking a little bit, but it's definitely worth it!

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'Age of Empires II' has been named on many many PC top ten lists, and for good reason too! Simply put, this is just an amazingly fun and interesting game. 'Age of Empires II' will take your breath away, it's a must own for any PC gamer, or even someone who's never played a computer game! Anyone will love this.

There are many levels of difficulty, which is excellent. Once you master one level or strategy, you can change the settings (and certain characteristics in the game, such as what type of terrain you get, which makes all the difference). You must manage any one of thirteen civilizations, ranging from the Turks to the Vikings. Each civilization has it's own unique benefits and drawbacks and their own style of buildings and armies. You collect natural resources, advance through ages by meeting requirments in your stockpiles, create workers, explore, conquer, build an army, make allies, engage in trade and battle, and so much more! The graphics are some of the best I've seen in a strategy game and always keep you involved with the game.

You can also choose certain types of games. A campaign game involves a certain sort of goal (like escorting Joan of Arc to the king). Their is a death match game, where you duke it out with other empires, and so much more. There is a delightful training game which involves the famous William Wallace teaching you the basics of the game, I found this to be extremely helpful.

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This is the kind of game that you must play when you're stressed. Just pick up your favourite civilization and ravage your enemies' towns! Some people wrote that you need more than 100 Mb of memory... It's false. I play it on my good ol' PC with 64 Mb of memory and runs pretty smooth. If you love strategy games, do not think it twice. Buy it right now!

The only mistake is the buildings from Middle East. The byzantines did not have those type of mills! Also, they do not have any mosques. They were Christians! Those are the only mistakes.

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This is a must have game, it is the best strategy game I have ever played, I recomend it to any strategy gamer, you'll like it.

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I recently borrowed this game from my freind thinking it was going to be a boring warcraft/starcraft wannabe what I got was even better than I expected! There are 13 races to choose from each with different characters and buildings so they is unlimited gameplay. Sometimes the battles can be difficult and frustrating but you always find yourself coming back for more.

The greatest Strategy game of all time. Period. With no doubt!

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900 AD. Rome has been sacked by barabarians. With no centralized government, the world is up for grabs. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is one of the best RTS Games I've ever played. Great graphics complement a wide variety of strategies. Will you rush your opponent in the Feudal Age and destroy his base early on? Or will you survive until a late-game Imperial Age battle with knights and cannon?

Resource management is fun, conquest is challenging, and strategies are advanced in this historical simulator of Middle Ages Combat. Armies are easy to raise, providing you have the right resources. You can trade resources and pay tribute to other players. Technologies are there to research that improve your soldiers and villagers. Allies are actually helpful, keeping up the pressure on your opponents while you build up for an all-out assault.

While this may seem familiar to many Age of Empires players, Age of Kings has many important differences. The first is the graphics, which have been highly improved. Along with the civilization attributes, each team has it's own special unique unit. This gives the game a more diverse feel. There are also more subtle differences, the most important being the fact that not all villagers are male anymore. Some are female. It's a randomly determined thing, and it makes it feel more real, but it doesn't affect game play.

If you like real time strategy games, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a must have. If you really like it, you should buy Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion. If you've never played an RTS, try this. Age of Empires II is a great game.

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Amazing, from everything from the play balance to the graphics an unbelievable sequel to an already good game. Go out and buy this game.

Highs: Inspirational AI; Amazing models; Great graphics; Tops the original; Nice extra features; good multiplayer.

Lows: Some monotony in the later campaigns.

Final verdict: 96%

Bottom Line: Go buy this game right now.

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I really love this game. Other games like Civilization just can't compete with it. There are some flaws, like sometimes you can't play senarios because before you can do anything, it says you lost. And sometimes it wont let you play on the internet, but all you need to do is restart the game, and its up and running. The interface is beutifuly set up, and is surprizingly easy to play, if not easy to win at. It is overall an aewsome game.

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This game speaks for itself so all I have to say is, IT ROCKS!

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