Age of Mythology (Microsoft, PC, G 8+)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * * )

Age of Empires has been arguably Microsoft's best game, with a sequel, AOE 2, and expansion packs keeping it a best seller. Number three in the series, Age of Mythology departs from the incremental nature of the first two games.

It draws on Greek, Viking and Egyptian mythology while the other two games marched steadily forward from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages.

It also brings in fantasy elements that take it a step away from the straight real-time strategy mode of the earlier games to become a battle between the gods of those ancient cultures.

If beads of sweat are breaking out on the heads of aficionados of AOE, fret not. It is still essentially the same game.

You start with a town centre, a blank map, four villagers and a lone scout. There are food animals to butcher, gold to mine and trees to cut down.

This similarity may well raise the question: why have I bought this? But the depth of the game becomes apparent and after some initial fumbles with a complex structure, most players will be hooked.

The backdrop is a huge campaign, where a warrior from Atlantis has to stop a power-crazy Cylops from destroying the ancient world. This takes our hero through Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology .

One of the strengths of AOE has been the random game, and many players avoid the lengthy campaign to concentrate on this.

It has been beefed up in Age of Mythology to feature new modes that can be played against the computer or online. The online mode has been improved and opponents are matched by skill level. A stats monitor tracks progress. Combat is similar to the earlier games, with units bought and upgraded as resources are gathered.

But an important new element is god powers — ranging from thunderbolts to full-on meteor showers and locust swarms.

These are granted by gods such as Zeus, Thor or Ra. You get five each game and need to choose wisely when to use them as they will usually turn situations quite dramatically.

peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz