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A great expansion for a great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 167 / 185
Date: July 10, 2000
Author: Amazon User

the expansion pack features 5 new civ's, maya, aztecs, huns, koreans,and spanish.each with its own unique buildings type(imagine mayas and aztecs builduings, cool)There are 3 campaigns and one pack of scenarios named battles of the conquerors, the campaigns are atilla the hun where you get to conquer gaul and then maybe even the whole rome, in el cid you must join forces with moors and fight against castilla and fight against fanatical berber horsemen, and last but not least, in montezuma you get to fight off thje invaders that are much better armed and shielded, can they defeat them, or will they fall before the invaders, in addition to that the game will have 11 new units,conquistador,jaguar man,tarkan and 26 new technologies including a special technology for each civilisation. The villagers are now smarter,for example they'll start gathering wood after building a lumber camp, farm queing, you just give enough money to it, and villagers will build farms untill money run off.

Ram's are now transports, garrizon units inside it to increase speed and defend units inside. ship formations,you can also send commands to friendly computer players. and finally new temperature zones including tropics, and ice. That is a very interesting game...

They made it again

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 37 / 38
Date: September 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The Age of Empire II expansion is, of course, basically the same game, so those of you who have played it will know the outlines. (and you'll know that it's one of the best games around). The biggest news are the addition of five new civs: the Spanish, the Huns, the Aztecs, the Mayans and the Koreans; all of them quite interesting. There are three new scenarios 1. Spanish scenario: You are El Cid, the famous spanish liberator, and your task is to drive out the Moors (moslem conquerors) from Spain. In addition, you are forced to occasionally fight a wicked spanish king as well...

2. Hun scenario As Attila the Hun, you lead your ravaging tribes from the steppes of Asia into Europe to attack the civilized world, especially the Roman Empire.

3. Aztec scenario As the Aztec emperor, you try to fight of the Spanish invaders, and defend your lake-city Tenochtitlan

In addition, the team behing AOE has added a number of famous battles, so that you can fight the battle of Hastings 1066 with William the Conqueror, you can discover America with the Vikings, etc. Aother great feature is the addtion of real world-maps, such as Britain, Italy, Texas and more. There is also a wider range of terrains, ranging from the rain-forests of the Americas to the snow and ice in Scandinavia.

All the old civilizations have got some new features as well, so that there is a definite feeling of a totally new game. As always, the historic detalis are accurate, which adds to the game.

If you have AOE II (the game won't run without it) and like it, I definitely recommend AOE Conquerors, it has everything one could have expected-

Conquerors is Compelling!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 26
Date: September 01, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Yes, I'll admit it: I am one of those people who has been chomping at the bit to get my hands on this expansion pack. I have spent hundreds of hours playing AOE,ROR,and AOK. I have only had Conquerors two days, but I've already finished the Montezuema campaign (I have to work and sleep you know). And I started Attilla the Hun before I went to sleep. We all know what a terrific game AOK is. What the folks at Ensemble have done is taken an already excellent game and made it better. By tweaking some of the old Civs and adding some unique units, they have given us reason to play some of the original Civs that we might not have been so found of (the Goths come to mind). They also added new Campaigns, maps, games (i.e. King of the Hill), and of course civilizations. I am not sure if there were improvements in the graphics, but the artwork of the tropical Yucatan peninsula rain forests and Aztec buildings is absolutely stunning. Microsoft and Ensemble have done it again. I better plan on getting a little less sleep for the next couple of months.

An essential upgrade

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 20
Date: September 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

AOE 2: The Conquerers is more than just a simple expansion pack. It is really more like AOE 2.5. Like most expansion packs, it gives you scenarios and extra civilizations. What is different here is that they have improved the AI for many of the critical functions and added some new units and unit features as well.

The biggest improvement is the automatic farm reseeding queue. Now instead of having to build a new farm each time one is exhausted, you can order the Mill to reseed them by buying an up to 13 reseeds. You still have to check the queue from time to time to restock it, but it is a lot easier than building farms every two minutes. Villagers are generally much improved. After building a mine for instance, the builder immediately turns into a miner.

The best thing I can say about this expansion is that now that I have it, I won't go back to playing the game without it. It has everything that AOE 2 has plus features I find indispensable. Even without the new scenarios, it is an essential enhancement.

If you enjoy AOE 2, I strongly urge you to purchase this upgrade. It makes a great game even better.

What a marvelous expansion to an already great game...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: July 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings, is probably one of the greatest real time strategy games that I've ever played (Although the original Age of Empires is a game that I still play to this very day.) The sharp graphics, the intricate gameplay, and the insanely fun multiplayer battles, just added to the fun. I didn't think there was much to improve but boy, was I ever wrong.

Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors Expansion totally proved me wrong. They were able to correct some problems that existed with the AI and even tweaked the AI in order to make gameplay all the more better. For example, when your villager builds a mine or lumbermill, he will immediately begin to mine resources (stone or gold) or chop down trees. This just keep you from having to move that mouse again, which is very important, especially if you're planning on an early rush. Another new great aspect was added, and that is the farming queue. This thing is absolutely awesome in gameplay. This allows you to queue (or store up) farms in your mill so that when a farm is depleted, that villager will immediately begin to plant the seeds for a new one. This becomes immensely handy while playing in multiplayer games, when time is absolutely crucial to victory.

The things that I always look for in an expansion are the new civilizations and units. In Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors (which will be referred to as AOK:TC from henceforth) five new civilizations were added (that would include new Unique Units, which I'll get to in a moment), new techonologies and the added "Unique Technologies" were added, and five new units were added to the game as well.

I'm going to first address the new civilizations one by one:

The Huns - This infamous nomadic tribe of vandals now rears its ugly head in the age of empires world. They are more of a raiding civilization (like the Mongols or Celts) then anything else. Their unique unit is a raiding calvalry unit called the Tarkan. Their unique technology is called "Atheism" it adds 100 years to Wonder/Relic victories. It also cuts the price of the Spies technology in half.

The Spanish - The Spanish are an interesting civilization, and one of the more "expensive" ones in the game. By this I mean that many of their units and technologies are extremely expensive (especially their unique unit...) Their unique unit is called the Conquistador, and is mounted gunman. Their unique technology is called "Supremacy" and it enhances the strength of their villagers. (One more unique thing about the Spanish is that in addition to the regular "European" priest, the Spanish also have a "Missionary Priest." That is, a friar riding a donkey. Much faster then a normal priest, but this priest cannot pick up relics.)

The Mayans - The Mayans are one of the two new American civilizations. These two have an entirely new architectural set which adds a whole new element to gameplay. Their unique unit is called the Plumed Archer. It's basically the American equivalent of the Longbowman. Their unique unit is called "El Dorado" and it increases the hit points of the Eagle Warrior (a new unit, only available to the American civilizations as their replacement for cavalry.)

The Aztecs - Yet another new American civilization, the Aztecs are a largely infantry based civilization that becomes a very fierce opponent. Their unique unit is called the "Jaguar Warrior" and it is basically an extremely tough anti-infantry, infantry unit. Their unique technology is called "Garland Wars" and it gives their infantry unit +4 attack.

The Koreans - The Koreans are the last of the new set of civilizations, and are quite the naval based civilization. They are the only civilization among all five of the new set that have two unique units. They are the Korean Turtle Boat, and the Korean War Wagon. The Turtle Boat is a very expensive, very slow, but very powerful naval unit (duh.) while the War Wagon is a rather powerful land siege unit. Their unique technology is called "Shinkichon" and it gives their onager units +2 range.

The new technologies and units make the game much more interesting as well. One of the biggest things that bothered me about the Rise of Rome expansion was that the new units and technologies really didn't add a whole lot to gameplay. While AOK:TC can be frustrating at first because the strategies have changed so vastly due to the new units and AI tweaks, it is still more fulfilling and exciting then was the Rise of Rome expansion. The five new units are:

1. Halberdiers 2. Hussars 3. Petards 4. Eagle Warriors 5. Meso-American Priest

The first two units (the Halberdier and Hussar) are upgrades to already existing units (the Pikemen and Light Cavalry.) The last three are entirely new units. The Petard (like the Trebuchet) is available to all civilizations. This unit is basically a walking bomb. The Eagle Warrior and Meso-American Priest are unique to the Aztecs and Mayans (the two new American civilizations) and basically function the same way as their "European" counterparts (the Scout/Light Cavalry, and the priest unit.)

If you already own the Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings game and you don't own this, I have one question for you: What have you been thinking? Get this expansion already! For those who do not have Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings, I highly recommend it. It is one of the greatest real time strategy games of all time. This expansion only makes it better, and should be almost mandatory for all Age of Empires 2 owners. 5 Stars

Age of Empires II: The Counquerors Expansion Pack

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 29
Date: August 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Age of Empires II: The counquerors Expansion Pack is an add-on to Age of Empires II. It simply ADDS-ON 5 new civilizations (Aztecs, Mayans, Spanish, Huns, and Koreans, total of 18 civs) and new technologies like a unique technology for each civilization (Chisese Rocketry, Persian Mahouts, etc.). New units will be added, like in the Americas, the Eagle Warrior as a substitute for cavalry (it's very fast) and in Europe the Halberdier as an advanced pikeman. There are also new worlds like "King of the Hill" and "Defend the Wonder". There are also Real wold maps of France, Britain, the Iberian peninsula (Spain), and even Texas! With the sme old good graphics and new and fasinating architecture this promises to be a great Expansion pack for already AOE & AOE2 lovers like myself!

Interesting but with some minor flaws.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: September 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I enjoy AOE2, and the expansion pack is a fun addition. Of particular note are the new building styles and civilization-unique research advances, a logical step from the civilization-unique units. New civilizations provide one the power to greatly strengthen ground units or even settlers, and new areas provide lush backdrops to savage clashes. Smarter A.I. and new research advances means your priests don't waste all their conversion power working on the same person, settlers don't stand around piles of gold like idiots until you tell them to get to work, you don't have to constantly rebuild farms by hand, and well-outfitted light cavalry actually make fairly effective units.

One major gripe I have from AOE:2 remains: units in formation allocate themselves against enemies in a very foolish fashion; often chasing the lead unit while others attack them, or wandering around the outskirts of fights attempting to get to a unit in the center, while being attacked themselves. Unless told by the player to attack a certain unit, units should always at least stop to defend themselves (a similar bug occurs when you catch an enemy army en route and can just beat on them the entire way w/o reprisal). Another wise option would a 'priority' option, like having units drop everything they're doing to attack approaching onagers and priests. Likewise, the new manual states that your own onagers will attempt to avoid firing into areas where your own troops may be injured; I have found this to be incorrect. Indeed, they still seem to relish lobbing attacks at wandering horsemen into clusters of my own workers. In addition, converted units should upgrade normally as part of your army, instead of staying rooted in the Dark Ages or whenever. Lastly, and perhaps most bizarrely, the expansion pack deleted infantry options from grouped units; I cannot create formations or order units to hold ground, stay grouped etc. It may be unique to my system, but it is nonetheless a serious problem, particularly in comparison with the previous system. I can't even use the skull button to kill off frivolous or converted units. Go to a different portion of the map for even a moment and standing armies will run off after a passing horsemen and get killed by castles. All in all, the expansion pack is great fun with lots of upgrades to the prior controls, but it seems to have missed some glaring ones.

Intelligent and Utterly Engrossing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: December 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I note with some dismay that it has been more than a month since I last submitted a review to this august website. I don't imagine there has been a universal clamor of disappointment, but if you care, the explanation for this lapse can be discerned by simply looking at the title of the game I am reviewing currently. Yes, another installment of the Age of Empires series has made its way into my life, and for the last month or so all of my activities outside work and sleep have essentially ceased, but for the playing of this addictive game. I have quit reading, watching football, and listening to music; I don't return phone calls; I have ignored my wife, my children, and my dog; and I have even cut down on my boozing, which, if you knew me, you'd recognize as nothing less than an astonishing revelation.

It's over now, though. Thankfully, these interruptions to my life don't last as long as they used to. When the very first A of E came out this insanity lasted eight months. Yes, eight months. From February to September of 1998, I did not read. I went from reading three to four books a month to zero, just like that. I went to bed at night and lied awake, thinking of tomorrow's strategies. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night in terror, because I didn't know if I was going to be able to beat a particular scenario, and was afraid that I would never get to play any of the games which came after it. (I didn't know about cheat codes then.) Entire weekends would go by--and I mean from Saturday at eight o'clock in the morning to Sunday at midnight--in which I would do nothing but play this game. Perhaps I have somewhat of a compulsive personality, but really, these games are that much fun. They are perfectly designed, challenging, beautiful to look at, and are presented with just the right amount of seriousness and small doses of levity. It is always a pleasure to come across a product which treats its customers with respect and assumes that they are intelligent.

This latest one is just as good as any of them and of course is loaded with new improvements, new civilizations, and new technologies. I am one of those who prefer playing the campaigns to playing on-line (although that is a blast also), and if you're like me, you won't be disappointed by these. I've always thought that the Rise of Rome campaigns were the best in the series, but man, these are very close. The last scenario of the Hun campaign, the Fall of Rome, was just fantastic, and as I fought my way down the map I was astounded as it slowly revealed itself to be the Italian peninsula. (It is interesting that the maps of this game can represent areas as large as the Iberian peninsula, and as small as the lakes surrounding Tenochtitlan, and still work effectively either way.) Other of my favorite scenarios were the Hastings, Agincourt and Vinlandsaga ones in the Conquerors campaign, but all of them are just wonderful.

I cannot rate this game highly enough. It is impossible and indeed a little embarrassing for me to admit to the countless number of hours I have spent enjoying these A of E and A of K games, rather than doing other productive things. But I will never regret it.

The most playable Age of all

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 17
Date: December 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Though called an expansion pack, the number of changes made to AGE OF EMPIRES II ® is almost enough to make THE CONQUERORS a brand new game. Indeed, once installed, it wipes out much of what was there before. Gone are the campaigns of AOE II, replaced by a whole slate of new ones, designed to highlight enhanced features and new civilizations. Though these new single-player games are not, in the main, as challenging as what preceeded them on AOE II, they serve well enough as introduction to what new gifts Microsoft has brung.

And substantial gifts they are. The new civilizations are equal to the ones which came as a part of AOE II. Their unique qualities seem have historical relevance to the cultures depicted, which helps to make AOE II a better computer game than most, because there is genuine educational value to it. Also, the new cultures help to move AOE II away from its Euro-centricity. Only one new European culture makes its debut here.

What makes THE CONQUERORS really different, though, are the profound number of changes to the AOE II strategy code. To name just a few:

* Farms and fish traps can be automatically rebuilt once exhausted

* Units can be garrisoned inside rams

* New coloring scheme makes it easier to tell who's your enemy

* You can command allied computer players, not just your own

* Villagers now automatically look for work to do

* Many items/units now have different costs

If you've never played AOE I or II, this laundry list of changes may make little sense to you. But anyone whose played it even at a minimal level knows that these are pretty massive changes to the way you play the game. Of especial note are the new way villagers move and farms can be automatically rebuilt. It used to be that you had to constantly worry about which of your villagers were being idle, because economic strategy depended upon your labor force constantly working. And you had to continually check whether your farms and fish traps had "dried up", so that your food would be processed around the clock. Now, though, villagers and farms are `smarter', freeing you up to get to the business of conquering.

Likewise, conquering strategy has changed by the addition of rams which can take passengers, and allies who can be commanded. In the past, you had no way to really hide troops during an offensive charge; now you can not only thunder on your oppenent's walls with enhanced rams, you can also surprise him with a sudden onslaught of angry warriors. Similarly, you can now do better than just call for support from your allies: you can actually specifically command their armies. Such a change obviously demands careful players to rethink their strategies.

What will make top-notch players think even harder are the myriad tiny cost changes in elements common to both AOE II and THE CONQUERORS. The biggest is an increase in the cost and construction time of Town Centers. Vital to every civilization, this change is immediately felt when your society comes under economic or military pressure. But there are dozens of other changes like how much docks cost for Vikings to build, or how fast camels move, or how effective pikemen are against camel. They're small changes, but if you've developed a strategy based on any particular unit, you may suddenly find it less (or more) effective.

Though some may well balk at the changes made, there's no doubt that ultimately THE CONQUERORS stands as a the most playable version of AGE OF EMPIRES yet. Where it falters slightly, in my view, is in making this an add-on rather than a free standing game. That means that you have to buy both the original AOE II, and this expansion pack, to take advantage of any of its neat features. This, obviously, makes the game a bit pricey, even for all its excellence. Also, there's no Mac version of the game yet available, which disenfranchises creative souls who would probably love to help make this even more of a must-buy. Still, though I'd generally take a star away for these sins, I can't seem to make myself do it. THE CONQUERORS is simply too fine an achievement to do more than wistfully sigh that it's not a little more accessible, both in terms of price and platform.

Great expansion pack, I cannot wait for the next

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: February 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Age of Kings broke new grounds that Star Craft had blazed, and it then set new limits for the ceiling. This expansion pack (which I will refer to as "AOKex" from now on) simply adds to the marvelous design.

Let's get the gripes out of the way first: The armies are still too similar. Mayans did not have Two Handed Swordsmen, and it just looks silly to see them running next to eagle warriors, fighting on the same side. There are only 3 new campaigns when I expected at least 5, but there are single game campaigns that let you taste a flavor of many historical battles (such as the Battle of Hastings with William the Conqueor in 1066).

Now for the good points: Villagers. They are finally intelligent. When they are done building a mill, they harvest food. When they are finished building a lumber camp, they chop down trees. You don't have to wait for them to be done and then tell them what to do. They do it automatically.

The new technology and unit upgrades are wonderful. The thumb ring is a welcome addition (something I was wondering as to its non-inclusion in the original) and makes your archers more accurate and quicker with their bows. The Harbrinder is an upgrade for the Pike man, and a group of these guys will absolutely make mince-meat out of entire legions of calvary. I had 12 of them in a group attacking a group of 20 or so calvary units. I lost three Harbrinders and killed all the enemy units. The light calvary has another upgrade now, the Hussar. While it still is weak vs. military units, this final upgrade will wreck havoc on villagers chopping wood or monks behind the enemy lines.

Other technologies are a welcome addition and make the game outstanding. The new civilizations are beautifully balanced and integrated into the game. If you're like me, you'll love the new world empires and, despite their lack of calvary units, their ability to overwhelm an enemy with sheer weight of numbers.

I recommend buying this without reservation. If you liked AOK, you have no excuse for now owning this expansion pack.

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