The interface is straight forward and easy to use. The addition of the formations for your armies allows this sequel to break some new ground for RTS games. The game doesn't treat religion in any serious manner. But that fits the generic nature of the game itself. At the same time, this generic approach doesn't offer any controversy either.
Religion is, therefore, somewhat bland and underdeveloped and relegated to a specific job.
As a game of history, there is nothing in AOE II to commend itself to learning anything beyond some cursory glimpses into the fascinating cultures it covers. Even those glimpses are about as generic as they can be. But AOE II isn't trying to be a history lesson. Even so, more information or an RTS better integrated in the story would have been a nice touch. It's one of the better buys of the year.