Rise Of Nations Gold By ExplosiveAmnesia on Oct 10, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Rise of Nations Gold is a real-time-strategy game for the PC. The Gold edition includes both the original game and the expansion: Thrones and Patriots at a budget price.

This game could be best described as a real-time version of the Civilization series. The game allows you to advance through a number of historical eras in order to gain the edge on your opponent. I'm not normally a fan of the RTS genre, but this game has held my interest for longer than most others of the genre. The elements included from Civilization make the game play a bit differently. For instance, you capture enemy city centers instead of destroying them outright. The game also encourages expansion by limiting the number of buildings built in each city, forcing you to build multiple cities, instead of having one giant base. I like the idea of borders and having multiple natural defense points.

In short, RON: Gold is a good purchase for any RTS player, and an excellent way to introduce someone to the genre.