Adds even more depth to an already complex game.

It's hard to imagine a game as expansive as the original Age of Empires. Twelve civilizations develop through four historical periods, from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, laying the foundations for technology and politics for all who will come later.

The Rise of Rome adds more options to a game already stuffed with them, and helps bring the game up to speed for the coming of Age of Empires II: Age of Kings, which begins in the Dark Ages. And there is enough in this pack to keep gamers busy until then. First, there are four new civilizations - Rome, Macedonia, Carthage, and Palmyra - each with their own strategic advantages and disadvantages.

The Romans are a powerful new civilization, producing arms and materials quickly and cheaply. A flood of quick Roman swordsman can devastate a Macedonian camp, but that can be balanced if Macedonia uses its defenses well. Slingers, with higher hit point damage, could significantly weaken the swordsman before they make it there, evening the score a bit. Macedonia can mount its own powerful attack with cheap siege units like catapults. Still, Rome's defenses can be fortified with a lot of cheap towers to counter this.

The slingers are new in the game, as are armored elephants, camel riders, scythe chariots on the ground, and fire galleys by sea. That makes the game a little more complex on all fronts, offensively and defensively. Fire galleys can be a powerful weapon by sea, but they have limited range, and can be handled easily enough from afar. But when backed by catapult triremes with a long range, they can wreak havoc.

There are also a few new twists logistically. Stronger units can be more easily converted through martyrdom, which allows a priest to sacrifice himself to automatically convert an enemy unit. And through a nifty bit of research, barrack units may count half as half units, which allows a player to build larger armies by exceeding the population limits.

Most of the new features add to the gameplay, with the exception of the new buildings. They offer more of a design update than a strategic advancement. There are new Roman temples and siege workshops, but they are just the Roman version of buildings from the existing game. Still, this seems necessary to accommodate the new civilizations, and the Roman Coliseum is a good addition to Wonders like the Pyramids and the Acropolis.

The Rise of Rome seems more than an expansion pack - it seems like a whole new game.

Reviewed by Nick A. Zaino III.