Persia was well represented in the original Age of Empires and in the expansion pack, Rise of Rome. However, you might be surprised by its return in the Age of Kings, especially considering that the Persian nation declined sharply early on in history. Although it was one of the greatest ancient civilizations, warfare with Greece, then Rome, and then the Muslims of the Middle East all took its toll on Persia. In later years, the Mongol hordes, who spared no one in their phenomenal conquest of Eurasia, left Persia in disarray as well. Yet, there Persia is, standing tall in Age of Empires II. Although it might be something of an anachronism, the designers wanted the Persians and their magnificent war elephants in the game because of a certain "cool" factor. Persians play great, and their elephants are simply awesome units. The Persian player has some handy bonuses on hand to allow for quick growth and a quick rebuilding period if he is set back by a Franks cavalry rush or a Teutons town center rush. Age of Empires is an epic real-time strategy game spanning 10,000 years, in which players are the guiding spirit in the evolution of small stone age tribes. Starting with minimal resources, players are challenged to build their tribes into great civilizations.
Gamers can choose from one of several ways to win the game, including: world domination by conquering enemy civilizations, exploration of the known world and economic victory through the accumulation of wealth.