After playing the hell out of AoE 1 I skipped AoE 2 back in the day, went to Age of Mythology, then 3, then 4, then back to 2. Feels a bit weird and I'm probably not in the best position to be commenting on it as I don't recall AoE 1 very well beyond the now apocryphal cheats such as rocket-launching cars, and so can't really comment on the upgrades AoE 2 has to offer. In any case though, that was, like, 25 years ago, so most people reading this review nowdays will be coming backwards like I did.

AoE 2 still holds up though, and has an enormous amount of campaign content. There are certain elements of the game that were tweaked in future releases - the default speed of your population is painfully slow and the enemies are unforgiving. You will be constantly harangued by small groups of enemy forces which can't obliterate you, but are just enough to whittle your numbers and slow the pace of the game down as you suffer near-constant attrition. Stamping them out is like trying to take out a cockroach nest with a hammer and enemy villagers are devious - you'll painstakingly swat three enemy stables along with 10 watchtowers surrounding them only to turn round and find they've built two more stables behind you.

Missions can take 45-60 mins, which feels a little long to me, especially given that much of this is due to the amount of time it takes to travel or for units to bring down buildings. More often than not it left me tired after a single mission, rather than desperate for more. But as the games in the series go I'd say this is the best offering besides Age of Mythology, which holds a special place in my heart for its slightly faster gameplay, mission variety, and fantasy units. AoE 2 is a lot of juggling plates, which, while frustrating at times, also tends to mitigate that 'scissors-paper-rock' unit balance that so many RTS games fall into. When it hits right it feels a little deeper, and thus, a little more rewarding.

once you buy they charge for all sorts of upgrades for you to progress through the Game

I love this game! I have played for days all in all, not the steam one but I had a download that I purchased years ago and my friend and I made a network and we had 2 Netbooks and played both ways on a 6 hour drive trip. The best Resource Management and dupe labor game. Always look for dupes who have finished their task and are standing around because this game needs everyone to work and be happy and you go through the ages