Despite it's shortfalls, Age of Empires is a hugely enjoyable game that you will play for a very long time.
The two game modes allow for repeat playing of the game which boosts the gameplay time. In Random Map, a player chooses a civilization and plays on a randomly created map providing variety to each game. There is also the addition of Death Match where players begin with a large number of resources and have to destroy the opponent. The Campaign mode also provides variety to the game, where you play a series of interrelated missions with different storylines. The different modes offer variety to the game and it increases its longevity.
You begin a game of Age of Empires in an unexplored map, a couple of villagers and a town centre to start building an empire. The villagers are the basic labourer and the backbone of your civilization. They gather resources, build structures, repair units and buildings and can also attack other units. The resources villagers collect come in four elements: wood, food, stone and gold. Each resource is collected through several ways: trees can be cut down for wood, stone and gold and be mined from mines and food can be hunted from wild animals, farmed, foraging berries and fishing. Each resource allows for the creation of buildings, research and units which help expand your empire. While the element of resource gathering adds depth to the gameplay, it is fairly easy to spawn villagers and collect resources quickly enough to overwhelm your opponent, limiting its purpose.
The advancement to a new age is also an important aspect of the game. You do not progress to a new age in time, but you have to buy the advancement with resources. The ages, which feature well known times in history such as the Bronze and Iron Age, allow you to upgrade and create improved units and better research and structures. While the advancement of a new age brings new possibilities to explore, it really is a case of advancing as quickly as possible to get the powerful units and crushing your enemy before they have time to find out what a wheel is used for.
The visuals of the game also stand out as something which shows Age of Empires capabilities. Each civilization has different structure designs. For example the Greeks have the architecture to their buildings you would expect such as columns and entablatures. The level of detail in the game is also impressive, from villagers throwing spears into wild animals to wild fish jumping out the water. These fine details really bring the game to life and make you feel like you are watching over the development of your empire.
The game does have its downfalls, however. The AI has some major issues, particularly with your unit's path-finding. You will find regularly that units will get stuck in a gap among trees or get lost in the map trying to find where they have been ordered to go. The relatively low unit limit of 50 is also quite irritating, especially with modern games having huge unit limits. Yet the limit can be forgiven considering how old the game is.
The tactical and diplomatic elements of the game is also poor. There is no unit morale and tactics are thrown out the window when you can easily crush your enemy with sheer brute force. While the element of trading is also featured in the game and you can build trading boats to trade with other teams on the map. However, the importance of trade is minimal and you can be just as successful without using the resources to exploit it. Diplomacy is also not as influential as it could be. While you can ally with other civilizations, there are not many benefits in allying with people other than the fact they won't attack you. On the lower difficulties your allies will also do very little to help you fight the enemy and are only really there to fill up the map.
Despite Age of Empires shortfalls, it is still a hugely enjoyable game and a game you will find you will play for a very long time. The most important point that can be taken from Age of Empires is that it has influence so many other RTS games and lay the first paving stone in the path of one of the most successful and influential RTS franchises ever.