A good starting point for an excellent series.
Granted, games like Sid Meier's Civilization covered the same territory, but something about AOE's approach made the experience considerably more immersive - if not as addictive.
There was also a simple but effective map editor included. This was the first time I had ever come across a game that allowed me to build my own levels and I ended up spending countless hours making all sorts of crazy scenarios. I commend developers who offer a map editor along with their games as they tend to grant incalculable worth in terms of gameplay possibilities as well as an extended lifespan within their community.
Now, of course, Age of Empires had its downsides. It was released with numerous bugs and minor glitches that sometimes caused the game to crash without warning if a number of them occurred at once. There were also problems with the AI, namely its inability to traverse across the map without getting stuck in nooks and crannies along the way. The enemy AI also tended to completely lack a sense of self-preservation, but I don't hold that against the game considering its age - no pun intended.
All in all, while Age of Empires may not have stood out as a bright star in the overall line-up of 1997, it certainly had its own charm. I would recommend it to anyone who has some spare time to try out an old-school RTS and especially to anyone who wants to know what got the AOE series started.
**DISCLAIMER: This review was originally posted on 25 May 2006 under the user name TheSergeant. I have since closed that account in favour of my current one and re-posted my earlier contributions with minor spelling and informational edits.**