The latest in technology is coupled with truly beautiful art. From the moment your Home City first appears on the menu screen, or a new map loads up to reveal pale grey waters lapping quietly against rocky New England shores, you become lost in the game world. But the real impressive thing about the technology isn't that it's there, it's that you don't notice it. There's even bump-mapping on the barrels of the cannons. The Majesty of the Frontier Graphically, the engine that powers Age of Empires III has a laundry list of the latest graphics technology: real-time shadows, high dynamic range lighting, you name it. Welcome to the New World! Age III's graphics are unmatched in the strategy genre.

And if you've never played a real-time game before, this is the place to start. If you're a fan of the genre, you owe it to yourself to check this game out. But the presentation is unmatched, and even though the game is rooted in RTS conventions, there are enough new elements and strategic variations here to addict even grizzled veterans. You're still scurrying to collect more resources than your opponents and rushing to field a giant army, and the game still rewards frantic clicking and unit management. Age of Empires III doesn't redefine real-time strategy gameplay. As Half-Life 2 did for first-person shooters, AoE III shows just how inspiring these games can be when lovingly crafted with outstanding artistry and solid gameplay fundamentals. Age of Empires III presents a similar leap forward for real-time strategy fans.

Back at a time where most strategy games were chunky and 2D, the first Age game pulled aside the curtain to reveal a world that was sunny, animated, colorful and lifelike. The original Age of Empires packed a stunning visual punch and backed it up with solid gameplay.

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