Having played this since release, it's safe to say Age of Empires 3 holds a special place in my heart (as do the previous iterations). Age of Empires 3 moves away from the "jump right in and play" setting of it's previous iterations and introduces a card and deck system through something called your "Home City" that allows you to send "shipments" whilst you're in a game. These shipments can be anything from extra troops, special buildings or even resources that will help give you a leg up against your enemies.

Age of Empires 3 only got better with it's subsequent expansion packs; War Chiefs, which introduced the Native American tribes as playable civilisations and The Asian Dynasties which reintroduced classic civilisations such as Japan and China and also introduced a brand new one: India. The introduction of these civilisations increased the playability of the game and also brought in a number of new campaigns.

If you enjoyed Age of Empires 1 & 2 but are wary of the changes 3 brought, I recommend you give it a try anyway. You won't be disappointed.