A Game Fit For An Emperor

No subtle hints from me that's for sure. I must have said one hundred times or more in the weeks leading to Christmas how much I enjoy historical role-playing games. I probably even said how fantastic Age Of Empires is, and what consistently good reviews the game received from numerous PC gaming magazines. My partner and I even ventured into a few department stores that stock the game, and while there I spent some considerable amount of time looking at the cover, reading the notes on the back, and uttering "wow" half a dozen times or more.

Games certainly come a very long way since the 1970s. I can remember as a boy getting excited with the latest Hanimex and Atari games. Back then you could play games like tennis and squash with the most unrealistic graphics imaginable. Unlike today's games where a tennis player actually looks and sounds human, back then a tennis player was represented by an elongated rectangular box. The tennis net was a line drawn down the center of the screen and the sound consisted of a "popping" sound. Games systems like these sold in their millions and were a forerunner of bigger, and much better, things to come.

Having neither the financial resources nor the inclination to play a wide variety of computer games, I tend to choose what type of game I play very carefully. In fact I often procrastinate for months on end before deciding what game to buy. As a result of this I have bought three computer games, all of which are real-time, role-playing games. Of the three Age Of Empires is, without doubt, the best. But don't just take my word for it. On the back cover and placed prominently is ten endorsements from computer and gaming magazines, as well as a list of the awards it has won. Words such as "masterful", "outstanding", "brilliant" and "great" are used to describe Age Of Empires.

The danger with receiving such glowing endorsements is that it raises your expectations. You expect nothing less than something that is totally outstanding, something that will entertain you for a considerably long period of time. Having bought something so critically acclaimed can result with you attempting to find fault with the product. Once you have found something that displeases you then it becomes much easier to pick the product to pieces.

When I first started playing Age Of Empires I tried to find faults. Having played the game on frequent occasions since receiving it as a Christmas present (thanks for taking note of my sledgehammer-like hints Libbie!) I can report that I am totally satisfied. The game is very good and is of a far higher standard than the majority of real-time, role-playing games.

What Makes Age Of Empires So Good?

Building Your World
Giving a game like Age Of Empires to your teenager or partner must be more rewarding than one of the countless varieties of shoot-'em-up, run-'em-down, blow-it-up, kill-'em-all games. Role-playing games such as this require the user to build a civilization. In order to succeed the user must learn how to take advantage of the situations which confront them. Building must be built, resources must be plundered, military campaigns must be planned, diplomacy must be engaged. All in all the user must think ahead and plan their moves; they must anticipate the next move of their enemy and think of how they can overcome it.

Empires
Playing games that have some sort of historical basis is, for me anyway, far more rewarding than flying about in a make believe spacecraft, or running around in an artificial world. If you would like to purchase a game that involves ancient civilizations then you should look no further than Age Of Empires. When you begin playing you have the choice of being:

* Assyrian
* Babylonian
* Ancient Choson
* Egyptian
* Greek
* Hittite
* Minoan
* Persian
* Phoenician
* Shang
* Sumerian
* Yamoto

An aspect which makes Age Of Empires so interesting is that there are major differences between the various civilizations. By this I mean no two civilizations have the exact same qualities. For example one civilization might have the ability to utilize an advanced form of catapult while another can fire ballistic weapons from a guard tower.

The makers' of Age Of Empires obviously spent a considerable amount of time researching ancient empires. By doing this they have attempted to make this game as historically accurate as possible. However, not all aspects are true. After all it is just a game.

Sparking An Interest in History
I would have loved a game like this when I was studying ancient history at school. Many school teachers have an uncanny ability to sap all the life and interest out of a subject and I think I encountered one or two during my days there. I would be very much surprised if this game was given to a person attending high school and it didn't spark an interest in ancient civilizations. During the past couple of months I've done a bit of reading into some of the civilizations that I didn't know too much about.

If this game is given to a high school student and it fails to inspire them to learn more about ancient history, don't lose all hope. At the very least this game teaches the user the names of several civilizations. Playing this game they will also learn their approximate location on the world map and the time in which they were dominant.

Game Options
* Up to 8 players
* Play a campaign, a scenario, random world, or multi-player game
* Size of map ranges from small to big
* Game finishes with conquest, a score, or time limit
* Multiple levels of difficulty
* Music, sound, speed, screen size, help, and mouse interface can be altered

Playing The Game
Apart from having an interesting theme for a game the graphics, sound and movement are all of exceptional quality. There are few role-playing games on the market that can match Age Of Empires in this regard. All buildings, landscape and people are clearly defined. Moreover the sounds of battle, construction, and manual labor are believable. The music played may get a little repetitious if you play the game for any extended period of time, however, you do have the option of turning it down or off.

System Requirements
* Requires Windows 95, 98 or Windows NT 4.0

Final Words
All of the good news you have read or heard in regard to Age Of Empires is true. Placed in the category of real-time role-playing games, Age Of Empires stands head and shoulders above its counterparts. The graphics and sound are lifelike, and the game itself is fun to play and easy to learn. Apart from being just another computer game, Age Of Empires may well lead to the user developing a healthy interest in ancient history and cultures. If you're like me and you don't play many games on your computer, don't overlook this one.