The action begins as you are crowned king of one of 13 powerful civilizations, including Vikings, Celts and Japanese. Lead your people over a thousand years, from the fall of Rome to the Middle Ages, in search of total domination and control of the world. The survival and prosperity of civilization is dependent on its skill and tactical knowledge. Crucial must make decisions about resource allocation, technology planning and military development. Travel in time, on your ambitious path of victory, taking control of enemy civilizations and building and defending the wonders of the world. Age of Empires II successfully recreates the epic nature of the original and pushes the real-time strategy genre to surprising limits for real-time strategy fans.