A nice, but small expansion.
The detail's all there, but the most obtrusive thing missing is the smoothness of the picture. Much of what is seen in AOE: Rise of Rome is grainy and unimproved over the original AOE. It's a shame also that the interaction animations, for example, shooting a bow, chooping lumber, gathering food, etc. are unspectacular and largely monotonous. Compared to its competitor, Starcraft, this game falls short in the graphics department. Don't expect any accolades on the scenery either.
Sound: 9/10
Although there is a lot of variety in the sounds produced, whether in combat or in selecting units and buildings, there is only 1 form of sound produced every SINGLE time. This causes the game to be monotonous towards the end of one battle.
Gameplay: 10/10
Now here is the reason that AOE actually stands a chance against other RTS games available. It is the sheer number of units and races that are found. Also, the logic behind the technologies researched is undeniable; most of them make sense in either history or logic. For example, fire weapons damage ships more. Also, another example is of cavalry shying away from camels, making camels the logical choice against cavalry.
Overall, not a very useful expansion, since not too many units are added and not enough technologies were added as well.