Welcome back to our biweekly Age of Empires II civilization updates. We apologize for being two days late, owing to the hectic schedule imposed upon us by E3. After this slight aberration, we'll go back to our regular schedule, so look for the Chinese update on June 1. Now, let's return to our updates with an extensive look at the first Middle Eastern civilization in Age II: the Turks. The Age II designers seem to have a great respect and admiration for the Turkish civilization, and if the information we have is any indication, they've turned the Turks into a formidable, albeit high-maintenance, gameplay civilization.

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Age of Empires II producer Harter Ryan explains his fascination with the Turks: "In 1978 I had the opportunity to visit Istanbul and view some of the magnificent Byzantine architecture spread through that city. Visiting the St. Sophia Church, the Sultanahmet Mosque, and viewing the remnants of Arcadius' Victory Column (over the Goths IIRC) all helped me get a terrific sense of the majesty and diversity that made up medieval Byzantium. In Age II our artists strived to capture some of the unique architecture styles that give the Middle East its identity from that time period. The inclusion of Janissaries as the Turkish unique unit will expose modern-day RTS game players to these fearsome warriors."

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The Turks have a fascinating history, one that we try to encapsulate in two pages. If you don't want to read about the history of the Turks, click here to skip ahead to the gameplay sections. Otherwise, read on about the fascinating rise and fall of the Turkish empires.

Next: A little history