The main objective of the game is to pick a nation and conquer the world with it. You can select from a number of historical or random situations, from 1200 BC to 800 AD. Each turn, you can manage your economy (deciding what to buy or sell, although your advisor takes care of the critical needs of food and supplies), build military units, handle diplomacy, and move your units. Each nation also has an 'elite' unit that includes the ruler. This unit is very powerful in battle, but if it is destroyed, your ruler is killed. Here's where one of the unique ideas comes into play, though -- you automaticaly get a heir to continue the game as long as you still have a major city. To destroy another civilization, you need to take all their major cities AND kill their ruler(s). Also unqiue is the fantasic help menus in the game (with easy to understand information) and the great history sections in the manual. More games should have this! Plus, your nation needs to have a strong economic infastructure to support your military, since your towns/cities supply your economy, and supplies are needed to keep your units in the field. Without a strong economy, you will be forced to disband units and can not buy materials to build more. This is a feature more strategy games should have. It's also quite easy to learn how to play.

However, after playing the game for a bit, the flaws come to the surface. In a nutshell, the game is too SIMPLE. Comabt is handled abstractly, by selecting a tactic when you engage enemy units. You have no control over your cities/towns and can only move military units. Diplomatic options are limited, the AI is horrible, and even at the highest difficulty levels the game is easy to win once you know what you are doing. It will keep you amused for a while, but does'nt have the gripping 'one more turn' feature. Players who are starting out with war/strategy games and/or looking for a game set in the ancient world will enjoy this, for a while. Everyone else is advised to stear clear.