I use the internet to help pay our family bills. I have a schedule I keep to so I can get all my different rewards programs done each day. Well, I used to anyway. Now I have Age of Empires II: Age of Kings on my computer and a husband standing behind me asking me repeatedly if I am done yet as he still has time for a game if I just get done. It's easier on the sanity to just stop what I am doing and let him play.

The game does appear interesting, I have even played myself (though I just like to create villages that grow throughout time and not actually go into battle with anyone). The graphics are amazing and are definitely part of the games appeal.

The premise of the game is to start your village in the dark ages and advance through time to "create a wonder" and conquer your enemies. You start with basic dark ages houses and skills and advance to castles and beyond. As you move through time, you 'educate' your villagers so they can build better structures and gather resources faster by using a wheelbarrow, forge metal, and other improvements man learned on their way through the centuries. And of course you have to attack the other players villages (what sort of medieval game would it be without that objective???) My husband finds it all quite enthralling (his exact words were, "I'm obsessed.")

There is a very interesting tutorial included using the conflict of William Wallace and Longshanks to teach the player how to move about the game.

The game can be played single player or multi-player by means of modem-to-modem connection or via the internet.

As a side note, a friend of mine who home schools her children told me they were able to tell her all about life during the periods of history covered because they had seen it in the game. She said it all appeared very accurate according to their history books. Now I'm not suggesting every school and family get one for their school age child, but the kids may just learn something by mistake while they play. And play they will...