A fun game that immerses you in humanity
After playing and replaying the game for the first week, I have been stumbled by its difficulty and have thought that glorified rulers must have been competent people indeed. However, as time passed (~2 weeks), the games difficulty sank as I became better at it. Then I realized how great the value of a game is that immerses you amid reality-- something that is not afraid to show you how truly challenging it is to be a member of the elite.
The sound and graphics played their part as well in keeping my eyes glued to the screen, but it wasthe depth of the game that kept me commanding each unit in an attempt to satisfy as many people in my small ancient Chinese community as possible. As for the gameplay, basic keyboard and mouse controls were of useful as in other games, but the many commands in one's disposal were required to be memorized, hence, initial gameplay was hindered by having to look back at the manual to see what key does a certain command.
Anyhow, because Emperor is a micromanagement game that ties different aspects of human society with detail uncommon in any other games, it is an artistic representation of a fun, great learning experience. If anyone would be interested in playing this game, don't delay-- the benefits of experiencing human history as a ruler is sure to fill your heart with ambition.