Education and fun all rolled into one! For History buffs and dead-heads alike!! ::grin::
The cities available for play, and as trading partners, vary based on the period of time in which you are playing. The monuments you may build are also period dependent.
This game contains an excellent tutorial that is interwoven with the game itself. Your city will be capable of producing certain goods, based upon your temporal and spacial proximity - due to raw resources available. You can both buy and sell with other cities along established trade routes. You will be required to provide certain goods, or troops, to the pharaoh, if you are not he. There is a time limit on these and the sooner you comply, the greater your reward. The gods will intervene on your behalf if you appease them with shrines, festivals, and temples. Beware: if you do not appease the gods, they may intervene in a negative manner and you'll find your people suffering for your over-sight.
You'll want to try different lay-outs of residential and commercial areas of your cities. As you advance through the history of your family, you'll learn the advantage of limiting the number of houses in a cluster and of leaving a bit of extra space here and there for future development.