Gameplay has stayed relativly the same, the a.i still needs room for improvement. That kind of thing gets annoying when you are looking for a challange. The basic point of the game is to build a large empire and rule over everyone. Graphics are pretty good. There are not any glitchs or anything close to that I have found.
Sound is good, clear and enjoyable.
The music is really neat too, it has good beat and goes well with the different scenarios. I had heard about AOE for a long, long, time. Finally I succumbed to my friend's whims and bought the Gold Edition. The first thing I noticed was the graphics. The people walk realisticly and their grunts are charming.