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One of the finest strategy video games to date, the Age of Empires series comprises of three different titles, all published by Microsoft Games. The first title, Age of Empires , was released in October 1997 and was among the first real-time strategy (RTS) game to be published. This was quickly followed by Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome which was released as its expansion pack. The title went on to become one of the most played video games and gave rise to a new tribe of gamers – the strategy gamers. The enormous popularity of The Rise of Rome led the developers of this game, Ensemble Studios, to come up with its sequel, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings and The Conquerors expansion pack in September 1999. The popularity of this series is shown by the fact that the developers came up with the third title in this series in 2005: Age of Empires III with The War Chiefs and The Asian Dynasties as its expansion packs.

The Age of Empires games are based on different significant events in different time periods of history. The first Age of Empires features a plot that moves from the Stone Age to the Classical Era (Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations). This RTS game offers the option of developing any of the 12 civilizations across the different time periods. Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome was released in 1998 as an expansion pack with newer civilizations and advanced features, making the game more interesting than ever.

The second title, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings features a similar game play with 13 different civilisations themed around the Middle Ages (in between the Dark Ages and the Imperial Age). This was followed by its expansion title, Age of Empires II: The Conquerors . The second title and its expansion pack went on to win Computer Strategy Game of the Year from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

The third title, Age of Empires III , and its expansion packs, The War Chiefs and The Asian Dynasties , make use of the Havoc game engine, moving away from the Genie engine used in the previous titles.

The Age of Empires titles have sold more than 15 million copies, making them some of the most commercially successful games. One of the things that make these games unique is the non-cheating Artificial Intelligence (AI) which provides the gamers with a real-time gaming experience. The immense popularity of this game has resulted in the launch of spin-offs, like Age of Mythology and Age of Mythology: The Titans , and these, too, have gone on to become popular in the gaming world. With an exhilarating real-time gaming experience, along with online gaming support on offer, the Age of Empires series remains among the best computer games.