by Daniel Thrasher

Created on: June 09, 2009

I've stuck with the Age of Empires series since the first one came out in 1997. It was one of my favorite computer games of all time, and I was feverish with anticipation when Age of Empires II was on the way. I practically hopped up and down at the thought of having such innovations as gates, garrisons, town bells, giant castles, and gunpowder units. Age of Empires has always been a great combination of attractive visuals, good sound, and historical campaigns that actually teach you a little something in the process.

In general, Age of Empires is a game of civilization building, resource gathering, and real-time combat. One of the hallmarks of the series is its attention to the civilizations each race is based on, which means they all speak their native language, have unique units and technologies that correspond to their particular claim to fame, and have bonuses or penalties unique to that civilization as well. To succeed in a game of Age of Empires, you adhere to the technology tree and advance through distinct ages to access new upgrades, technologies, and units. Somewhere in all of that, you also beat up other civilizations or accomplish one of the many other goals available in single- or multi- player.

Age of Empires III is all of this, but with a leap in technology and features, as well as some obvious differences. In Age of Empires III, right off the bat you'll notice some major changes from the first two games. For starters, the setting of the game is the "New World," and you are one of eight European civilizations out to colonize it. The single player campaign is no longer a series of seemingly disparate scenarios or battles, but a sort of historical fiction story about the Black family. You'll be interested enough in the storyline to play through at least once, and there are multiple difficulty levels to challenge the hardcore RTS player in you. The settlers, or villagers, that you use to obtain resources no longer have to travel back and forth with their loads, but instead stay at the resource spot until it is depleted. They have also introduced plantations to generate gold, just as farms generate food.

Multiplayer has always been a major selling point of the Age of Empires series, with awesome game modes and the potential for some epic games with friends and AI players. Some big changes in Age of Empires III include the addition of trading posts, settlements, hero/explorer units, and the Home City. Trading posts are places that you can trade

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