We have all come to accept that expansion quite often do not live up to the original but I had haope for this one as the original was so strong. Hope can be a fickle friend. The major addition to Play the World is online multiplayer. PLease hold the applause, this is a trojan horse, on the inside lurks a terrible truth- the multiplayer sucks. The lag time is incredible, not to mention the countless times my computer has crashed as a result of this "exceptional" new feauture. I've been told that the LAN multiplayer works better, but how many people have multiple computers on hand and enough friends to play them whenever they want. The additions to gameplay in single player are minor. The new tribes do not make a major impact on gameplay form the last game. Sure its nice to have more options to play with, but it only expands what is already available and does not bring anything new to the table. The only new adjustment which is commendable is that your units, for a small fee, can be upgraded to the newest unit of its type, which is better than having medieval units running a mock during the twentieth century. Also, units can now travel in larger groups for easier management, which provides al little relief in the later stages of the game. The empty scenario folder has gone, to be replaced with one packed with unfinished, terrible (one featuring dinosaur barbarians springs to mind) and some all too similar scenarios.
As expansions go this is a rather lacklustre effort, the new feautures are not very noteworthy, and the multiplaye ris still bad even wit the release of patches.
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