Age of Empires III (Windows)

a warning to rts fans: this game runs slow even on an XP PC but otherwise it is great

I have been playing this game for a number of years, since about the age of 12. in inclusion to being a good game, I'm embarrassed to say that the use of some cheat codes taught me how to type more quickly and fluently. this game teaches kids how to stratagize and plan ahead. you could probably learn how to play this game well inside 5 minutes, so ease of game play is not an issue. all in all, its an amazing game appropriate for anyone 12 or up

A great game filled with some good ol'history.

I'm a big fan of the Age of Empires titles. At first, when I just had AOE II, I was reluctant to buy AOE III because I wasn't as into the colonial ages and stuff. But I had a sudden craving for a game with muskets so I got AOE III and loved it. I installed it on my vista laptop (AOE II wouldn't go on my vista, but maybe it will now with the compatability update) and at first the game lagged like crazy. At first the framerate was just really slow, and even in the main screen the people walking around were slow. All you have to do is turn down all the graphics options, and even though when you're turning off things that seem like they make up the game's whole graphic awesomeness, you can barely tell the difference. The battles are epic, I say the game is appropriate for everyone, but maybe too complex for certain kids under 10, I dunno. But the bottom line is, it rocks, it's still like AOE II but with muskets and some new features, and my parents who go completely by CSM didn't hesitate to let me get it.

My 10 year old boy loves this game. But, he also has been playing AOE 1 & 2 & Age of Mythology for a few years so the transition was not difficult. If a child has never played a strategy type game before, you might want to explore whether they liek it or not. While the graphics are incredible, my 10 year old says there are not as many historical characters in this game as he would have liked (i'm not sure). In Age of Mythology he learned mythological characters names and roles. In AOE 1 & 2, he learned some of the historical figures (he loves history). In AOE3 he hasn't run across many characters besides a slight mention of George Washington, etc. But he still loves the game and the graphics are amazing. He usaully looks up cheats on the web and tries those. Liek running over colonials with Monter Trucks and such. Incredibly addictive for kids who like history and/or war type themes.

It's fine so far as violence goes. Nothing remotely graphic is shown apart from characters falling down shouting "Aaaarrggghhh". If you have a mature child of any age, this should be no problem. The game play is nice and moderately smooth. I have no major problems with it. However, I wish the campaign wasn't so easy and that you will spend some of the time a bit bored.

Parents, this is a wonderful game for teens, or anybody above in the double digits and even below that. It's educational, it's not a shoot-em-up, it doesn't have too much violence, etc. etc. I really enjoy this game. Another great thing about it is that you can always keep playing. There's no stopping you. The violence is pretty minimal but also very realistic. Cannons boom and send men flying into the air like rag dolls. Sometimes they may land in the ocean or fall off a cliff. There is a tiny bit of blood that is hard to notice. There are guns, but you don't use them, your troops do. Tis game might give kids ideas about conquering places. You do build your own civilization. If you want to put your kid in god's viewpoint, it's Ok. The realistic effects and beautiful graphics make this need for your video game shelf. As for language, I think there's just one small word. Kids might not like the aspect of seeing people getting killed all around where they look (the killed people include women, priests, and animals)and pieces of buildings flying into the ocean. During the battles, it's chaos, but most kids love that. It's great to be the boss sometimes that way. You get to tell everyone what to do. But it's a great game. No real violence. There is destruction and conquering. But it 's also eductaional. It tells your kid all about the new world and how it was around that time period. Know your kid. Its excellentm but do a bit of research before you buy it.

I've played the game for a while now and found that while not completely historically accurate it possesses an enjoyable and simple strategic level. It is not among the best strategy games but does not have over the top violence like God of War or some other games I know.