In Age of Empires: Mythologies, players take control of an ancient empire and strive to develop their land and conquer other empires that have a similar goal in mind. The turn-based strategy is a little different from the RTS of the PC versions, but is very close to the previous DS game, The Age of Kings, which is similar to the Civilization series. Players not only do battle, but they must develop their own domestic advances in agriculture, technology, etc. The difference here, hinted at by the name, is that you choose one of several deities from Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology, to lead your nation building. Other mythological beings and powers play a critical part of the game.

Rather than totally open-ended gameplay, Mythologies includes a number of goal-oriented chapters across the three civilizations. Given its strong PC roots, the point-and-click interface works well on the DS, though buttons can be used just as well. The game also includes multiplayer capabilities, and some maps require only one game card to play.

Though it's not exactly the same type of game as the other strategy title at the Media Summit, Fire Emblem, the game is far easier to look at. The graphics are incredibly colorful and detailed, from the map screen to the short battle segments. The PC version (known as Age of Mythologies) has been adapted well. The only real problem was the isometric view, which is a little difficult to navigate with the D-pad.

Age of Empires: Mythologies looks like another competent entry to the strategy genre. The game releases November 24 in North America.