If you like the strategy genre and haven't played this, you have missed some of the best graphics of the history of gaming. Whether you are brand new to Age of Empires, new to strategy in general, or are a returning AoE fan, you can't pass up a game like this. New users will be surprised at how Ensemble Studios and Microsoft have come together to create the best game of its kind. The veteran (or in the spirit of Age of Empires II, elite) will be blown away by new and improved graphics and features. The experienced player will also notice new unique unites, techs, units, and new counties such as the British, French, Spanish, German, Ottoman, and more. The campaign follows a family through the generations as they explore, fight, and work in the New World. Twists and turns in the plot keep you on your feet. The real-time strategy genre has never been so real-time. A returning player from AoE II will recall the bombard cannon. These would hit one man. Microsoft would have no such thing in AoE III. When you fire your artillery, it hits trees, grouped men; I've even gotten a cow. I greatly encourage you to at least try it. You owe it to yourself as a gamer to not only see these graphic, but also be absorbed in them.