Yup, Age of Empires is back and better than ever as the Age of Kings. This recent sequel to the original Age of Empires boasts better graphics, more units and new sources of resources (like the farm and fish trap).

But most importantly -- the gathering point; every AoE player's dream come true. Now units will automatically move to the gather point, set by the user, on the map. Each unit-producing building can have a gathering point; by placing a gathering point on forests or other resources villagers will automatically go to work, and attack units can be herded into a rendezvous area with an ally.

Many new actions are available now; the flare allows players to point a spot on the map to their allies -- something not possible in the original AoE. The flare can be used creatively, but is most often used to point out general locations such as the opponent's starting bases. A little button near the mini-map shows an idle villager when clicked; increasing productivity.

AoE II is an overall good game. Multiplayer is very fun, especially when you play people you know over a network (allowing you to shout commands to each other). When not playing multiplayer, the option of playing single player with allied computers is always an option. The only major bug (where the computers resign at the slightest touch of a finger) has been patched, currently leaving very little or no mistakes in the game.

Rating: (4 stars)