MEDIA ALERT: MAY 2, 2000

AGE OF EMPIRES II: THE AGE OF KINGS TRIAL VERSION EXCEEDS 1,000,000 DOWNLOADS ON MICROSOFT.COM

Microsoft today announced that the Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings trial version has been downloaded in excess of 1,000,000 times on the microsoft.com games site since it was first made available in November of 1999. This figure does not include the number of downloads from many other gaming and freeware sites all over the world.

In other news, the highly-anticipated Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion will be unveiled at next week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. At that time, specifics about the pack's five new civilizations and four new campaigns will be released. The Conquerors expansion pack will be available at retail this fall.

Age of Empires II, developed by Ensemble Studios, features new and improved design features that quickly engage the casual player while offering more intense and engrossing gameplay to satisfy the hard-core audience. Beginning with minimal resources, players are challenged to build their nations into great civilizations and defeat the enemy by making strategic decisions throughout the game. Each of the 13 civilizations represented in Age of Empires II, including the Mongols, Celts, Vikings and Japanese, features distinctive attributes, buildings and technologies and a unique combat unit based on its historical counterpart. In addition, Age of Empires II features five campaigns based on the adventures of prominent historical figures, including Joan of Arc, William Wallace and Ghengis Khan, that draw players deeper into the game as they march alongside the hero to victory.

More information is available at the games's official Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/games/age2/, or on the Ensemble Studios Web site for developers at http://www.ensemblestudios.com/.

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