Age of Empires: The Age of Kings features:
- Command one of five different civilizations: the Britons, Franks, Mongols, Saracens, or Japanese;
- Control special 'hero' units such as Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood, Joan of Arc and Genghis Khan, whose special 'hero' powers affect the entire battlefield;
- Lead over 45 different types of units into battle - from bowmen and monks to hand cannoneers, mercenaries and samurai;
- Players' can construct and upgrade buildings to help their units learn new skills and create resources for their civilizations;
- Research over 50 different technologies like chemistry, ballistics, siege craft and spying to advance civilization into the next age;
- A new Combat Advisor offers advice on certain campaign strategies and provides an assessment of the battle's outcome;
- Multi-player scenarios allow up to four players to wirelessly battle each other;
- By gaining Empire Points, players can unlock maps and units to improve their Emperor Rank;
- Includes the music and sounds from the best-selling PC version.