That already hasn't been said? Coming from Age of Empires I had certian expectations about the quality of gameplay and interaction. I have to be honest and say those were all shattered.Microsoft has definatley stepped up to the plate on this one, making the charecters and story lines more interesting and complex. This game takes the expectation of your typical rt strategy game and truns it into a RT Rpg Strategy.The AI on this thing is so enhanced you really don't want to be caught with your pants down, and the graphics, well, don't get me started on them. I must say, this is a great game, an awesome sequal to Age Of Empires I.MS has certianly raised the bar as to gameplay, graphics quality and style of real time strategy games. I can't wait untill the next version!