Ever play Age Of Empires 1, and not be able to keep your civilization going due to constant enemy attacks? This doesn't seem to be as much of a problem in Age 2. You have more time to build your civilization, and diplomacy seems to have a much greater effect than in Age 1.

There are lots of nice graphics touches in this game. There are different kinds of fish to catch with your fishing boats, including leaping marlins. The water in the oceans sparkles. The docks look really good in 3-D, and even have a little bell ringing on them and seagulls flying around.

Other structures, like the castles are quite impressive. I enjoyed the dramatically huge size of the first castle that I built, and its imposing dominance of the screen. I also like the feature that castles and other buildings defend themselves with arrows, and the feature can be upgraded to more lethal defenses.

Were you frustrated in trying to organize your army in Age 1 so that your weaker range attackers could be protected, yet still be effective? Well, try the box formation feature in Age 2 that will put a wall of your stronger troops around the weaker ones, allowing you to get maximum benefit out of your bowmen and other ranged attackers.

One problem with the game is that some of the buildings were not readily identifiable at a glance as to what kind of building it is, in other words what it produces. So, some time can be wasted trying to find the right building to produce some fresh troops for you while you are in the heat of battle. Once you get used to the similarity of some buildings structurally, then it is not as much of a problem.

All in all, this is a great game.