A legend the moment that it was created
For its time in computer technology, the graphics of Age of Empires is quite reasonable already. Although units may get stuck or the game be slightly twitchy, the detail's certainly there and each unit at least looks unique. The units are a little small though.
Sound: 9/10
No problems with the sound, though it can get monotonous, since there's only 1 sound effect associated with each unit and building. The only unit where there are many sounds is the villager.
Gameplay: 10/10
Microsoft has truly broken down the barriers to RTS gaming with Age of Empires. This game excels at both single player and multiplayer, something unheard of before, and is still rare today. The replay value, as for any RTS game, is almost infinite, until you get bored of the units and sound effects themselves. But that is a small drawback to the gameplay, when you consider the dozens of hours you spend preparing armies to ambush opponenets or wage all out war. This is a true strategy game that also mixes with motor skills as players race each other to build the largest army using the most efficient means.