This game may not have the flashy graphics or the visuals that other games have, but what it lacks in thsoe visual features it makes up with it's deep level of strategy.
You can learn the game in a few minutes and be able to play the game like that, but then the real difficulty kicks in, politics, negotiation, confrontation, and just trying to stay alive in a game where revenge is fast and furious.
An instant messaging account is absolutely essential for this game. AIM acn be used but MSN is preferred. A great deal of political deals such as alliances, non agression pacts, and even war plans are debated online, then carried out in the game.
While the game itself may not be as addicting as the other ones, the people you meet online, and the strategy that goes into making your country successful is a hook that will keep you playing the game long after the initial "blow stuff up mentality has gone".
Overall the game features a deep level of strategy, one that becomes ever more complicated as you rise up the ladder in importance and influence. This is not a game for people who just want to blow stuff up and be done with it, but a game for true strategists, and those who understand how war is really won or lost... not just with actions, but with words.
