Microsoft and Ensemble Studios have twice before collaborated to bring us Age of Empires (AoE) and Age of Kings (AoK). For their latest title, Age of Mythology (AoM), I was expecting more of the same but hoping for something better.

Although I enjoyed the previous games, after spending time with the second offering I was more than a little tired of the game engine and artificial intelligence. Real-time strategy (RTS) games are a big favourite of mine and have been since the granddaddy of RTS games, Dune 2, was released. AoE was novel and largely entertaining, as was AoK until you reached the death match games. The AI in AoK suffered from what I have since named Tank Rush Paranoia; it expected to be rushed by about 50 of the biggest, most ferocious units in your arsenal. So, to protect itself, it built multiples of every building and as many units as it could physically squeeze into its base area without resorting to forced contortion or hiring really thin warriors. The only way to beat it was to build that tank rush and then build again and again and again until you had finally rolled over the computer, which is less than fun after the third game and boring after the fourth. So my expectations were both high that this would not be the case with AoM and also low because I could see it happening all over again. Mercifully, AoM is not only graphically and audibly a great game, but all the game play issues have been resolved or at the very least improved.

After a wonderfully staged introduction animation that is now becoming the trademark of this series, a beautifully animated menu screen provides your first insight into the graphical splendour of the game engine. The usual options for game play have been carried over from the previous titles so you will quickly feel at home and be able to get stuck right in. The single player options are the standard campaign missions but this time they have a slight twist that I will come to in a moment. Alongside that are the Random Mission and Versus CPU options. Multiplayer comes in the form of Internet or LAN choices so should you tire of the computer there are no shortage of opponents to face online.

The campaign missions differ this time because instead of choosing a race to play and then playing their individual campaign, you play a story that will take you through all the different races. Starting at the biggest myth of all time, Atlantis, you meet your character and saviour of the ancient world, Arkantos. Faced with the possibility that their god Poseidon is no longer in favour with them, he sets out on a voyage to aid the Olympians in a battle against some typically bad baddies. So after seeing off the pirates who seek to capture Atlantis and playing through a brief but informative tutorial, you set off to help your distant cousins. Of course, along the way you have a couple of opportunities to stick your nose into the bad guys' business and learn a little more about the race you're championing. You will also get to see animated sequences before, after and in between missions, which will introduce not only the main baddy but also his henchmen. A gigantic Cyclops, Gargantos is the head honcho of the opposing force. He plans to achieve world domination by releasing the trapped Titans that once ruled the earth and subjugated human kind to a suffering existence of slavery and servitude. Of course he will be rewarded in the usual fashion of becoming immortal and no doubt being allowed his own tropical island with peasants to flog and the like. Ably assisted by the Minotaur Kamos and a human named Kemsyt, who displays a personality not unlike that of a serpent, old one-eye sets out to find the gates to the underworld to gain access to Erebus, Hell, Neiflhelm or whatever you call it. Inside there he seeks to find a huge door once sealed by the Gods to hold the imprisoned Kronos, a particularly nasty Titan. Your quest to stop him will see you campaign across the green lands of ancient Olympia, the golden deserts of Egypt, the white snow covered lands of the Norse and of course into the depths of the Underworld itself. Along the way you will get the opportunity to play as each one of the different races and try out their different special abilities.

As this game is all about the mythology that surrounds these civilisations, it would be pointless if all it offered was a human versus the Gods type war. So to bring to the game an extra sense of depth and also much enjoyment, you get the chance to wield in combat a number of myth units. For the Olympians these are creatures like a Pegasus, Hippocampus, Minotaur and of course the hero units Jason, Chiron, Ajax and yourself, Arkantos. The Egyptians get giant Scarab beetles, Sphinxes, Scorpion Men and Pharaohs. The Norsicans' range includes Giants, Wolves and fierce warrior heroes. But it does not end there. If Kronos is set free then the Gods are going to be at war and this is something they do not want, so as you progress through the ages you get to pick which minor god you wish to ally yourself to. This alliance will give you a number of different upgrades or advances in one or more areas depending on the nature of the god you have chosen and their power. These powers vary in type and effect from the healing to the destructive; at one end of the spectrum you will find powers that will generate rain storms that will enable your farms to produce more food and at the other end a great meteor shower to rain destruction on an opponent. Once you reach the upper levels of advancement then the powers can and sometimes do take on the true "wrath of the Gods" feel. Lightning storms that will only strike down opponents units, earthquakes to shake and shatter buildings, tornadoes that will pick up and throw units high into the air for a fatal drop and the meteor shower are all available and highly enjoyable to use (cackles evilly into the night!) All of the powers have their uses and are valuable assets no matter their effect, so choose your minor gods wisely and be certain about when and where to unleash their powers.

The levels are huge, expansive and in depth. The lay of the land changes greatly with the different races, as does the amount of resources available for any one type. Exploration is carried out in the same manner as before, but be warned; some of the maps are big and filled with dangers that are not under the CPU's army's control. Resource gathering is much the same as in previous games, with the simple left right click interface. Piles of gold ore last longer in this game than in previous ones, so it's almost like going to the ATM of Erebus! In the times of the ancients there were no junk food nights as all they ate came from either farm beast, fishing or crops and this is all you have on offer to obtain your food from - it is this that can be the scarcest of all resources if you do not utilise your farms well.

Wood gathering will see you felling whole forests in your bid to complete the levels as your gatherers work fast and make light work of a small wood. Everything built uses at least some amount of wood including the Trojan horse you have to build in one mission, making it your most important resource to obtain. Construction is no different to the previous games and utilising the style of user interface from AoK makes it very quick and easy to navigate. One thing that I feel is still missing from this series is the ability to sell buildings as you can in other RTS titles. The ability to reclaim materials is always useful and I feel at times during this game it would have been nice to stick up a sign saying "Trojan Horse For Sale!" and get a percentage of the materials that went into it back. But still, this is only a minor complaint and since it has never featured in the Ago series it really doesn't detract from the game in anyway.

Of course there is more than the single player on offer and as with the previous releases there is support for Internet and LAN multiplayer games. This opens up many new aspects of the game and does add much longevity to the title. The challenge of playing another human opponent does outweigh the challenge of the AI, so this is the avenue for the true die-hard fans of AoM and RTS in general. The online play is generated through the already established Microsoft server system so there can be reassurance of reliability of service and also the available number of players. All in all, this title thrives on the multiplayer scene as many RTS games do, but the addition of the God aspect provides more feeling to the nature of the battles. It no longer remains general against general, but introduces true battle of the heavens style gaming and the normal multiplayer humour that will be seen through the in-game chatter reflects this greatly.

The big improvement to this title over its predecessors is in the graphics engine to the game. Going 3D, with wonderfully animated worlds, transparency effects, lighting, visual effects for the different god powers, explosions, particle effects and much more make this by far the most beautiful of the series. The overhaul has reached to every corner of the game, to option and menu screens, user interfaces and all other control screens, which have a new sense of depth and aesthetic style to them. I could go on for some time and at great length about the splendour of the new and improved graphics engine but I will leave it to your own curiosity to find out for yourselves.

Sound is just as with the previous titles, nothing short of brilliant. Incidental music fits perfectly to the moment, civilisation soundtracks are well suited to their race and the general sounds and effects that come from the surrounding environments are all of the same quality and class as the rest of the game.

The best improvement is the overhaul that has been done to the AI of the computer opponents. Tank Rush Paranoia is well out the window and has been replaced with a well-balanced challenge. It pays close attention to what you are doing at the fringes of its vision and reacts to it accordingly. It makes good use of the surrounding resources in a fashion that would make it play more like a human opponent rather than a CPU. It is as ruthless as it needs be, which on higher difficulty levels is very ruthless! It has a good grasp of tactical positioning and is very good at defensively protecting itself from attackers, especially with fortifications. It uses its own myth units, heroes and god powers against you with little or no mercy and is generally an all round decent opponent, but only on the higher levels of difficulty.

It is hard to level too many complaints at this title but I do have a few. One is the lack of cultures and civilisations to pick from. There are only three, but there are so many more that have long histories and deep mythological pasts that are still well known today. Aztecs, Red Indians, and just about every Asian culture, so there are no shortages for future add on expansion packs (hint hint Microsoft & Ensemble!!!) It is a shame, but the lack of choice is apparent all the way through the game, especially when choosing your minor god for evolution to the next age. You are only ever offered two at a time, it would have been nice to have a number to choose from at each stage giving greater flexibility to game play approach and a more varied game experience. The lack of Egyptian flavour is a let down during the missions from that period, especially since the recent Mummy and Scorpion King films have given us so many glimpses into the rich imagery and depth of scenery that can be drawn on. The same could be said for the Norse section of the game too. Much of what is commonly known about the Norsican world is built up on the mythical stories and legends of their past. They occupy such a short section of the game (albeit a demanding one) and there is so much more that could have been used. In short, there is so much material that could have been added and some that really should not have been left out for any reason, but it does not detract from the fact that this is a great game.

Overall, this is the best of the Age series, having the best graphics, AI and storyline, generally the highest level of enjoyment since the first. I have not put this game down for the week I have been playing it and will probably continue to play it for some time to come. If this is the shape of things to come from Microsoft and Ensemble Studios then we have a lot to look forward to.

Reviewed by AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).