It's like a role playing/strategy game in which you can play against the computer or other live players. You choose your civilization and that is who you control (Persians, Chinese, Mongols, etc). You build your way through different ages of time by gathering resources you need to advance (food, wood, gold, stone). Everything has a price and you use the resources to pay for them. Then you want to advance your technolgy and military of course because the object of the game is to defeat your enemy and conquer his territory. Everything in between is just gathering your resources and strengthening your military and your civilizations so they can cherish. You also build a strong defense in your territory at the same time to prevent your enemies from taking over your area.