Age of Mythology
© 2002 Microsoft Corp.
This adaptation of Age of Empires (now in its 5th year), is like chess, only with monsters, Gods, and fictionalized armies inspired from Greek, Norse and Egyptian civilizations. To win, you must manage economics through resource gathering and trade. The mythological part comes when players call upon the gods to act on their behalf, or reinforce their armies with one of the 25 creatures. The graphics are improved over prior versions, with more lifelike terrain such as water spouts, infernos, lava and so on, as is the interface which allows easier movement. There are nine civilizations and a random map generator, which helps keep things interesting. Smarter units allow players to make better use of inherent strengths and terrain advantages. We found this version to be easier to play, but still requiring plenty of time to figure out. This is an excellent way for older children to immerse themselves in Greek mythology. Published for Microsoft by Ensemble Studios.
$49.95, Win 98, XP, 2000, 1GB of hard disk space
Teaches: strategy, mythology, history